Chapter Text
Sara was finding all her belongings while combing her hair inside her dorm room. It was 10 minutes before class, and she was still struggling to put her school materials inside her backpack. She was relieved that living inside the campus meant that she didn’t have to catch a bus on the way to school, so she took a deep breath at least. Her hands put down the brush and grabbed the onigiri, and she ran towards the door and shut it without surveying the mess in her room before leaving.
Sara stepped outside the building and realized how her shoes met the moist ground. She thought of getting her umbrella, but a quick look at wrist made her realize that there were only 5 minutes before class. The outside was a bit misty, so she tried to focus on the building in front of her. These days, she hoped to feel the warmth of the sun, but she was rather met by the rain lightly meeting the ground.
The rain wasn’t heavy, but it was rather dispersed. It resembles more of a sprinkler than of a shower. Still annoying nonetheless, and it still made Sara have to rush more because the rain would battle her eyesight, the grip on her feet, and her time.
She entered the classroom a bit wet, but it wasn’t that big of an issue. Inside the classroom, she sat beside Itto who was also anticipating the quiz. She didn't pay close attention to him. Instead, she grabbed her notebook and scanned for the entirety of the last minute. Her notes were decorated with those colors of the highlighters, and she was then reminded again. To fabricate a lie to herself, it should be easy.
The teacher entered the room, test papers at hand. The whole class stopped at their tracks and greeted the professor, then sat down after. He swiftly handed out the test papers to the students in the class, and he started the timer. "Avoid glancing, I trust all of you. You may begin." he sat on the teacher's desk and he moved his focus on every student inside the classroom.
Sara grabbed her pen from her pencil case and answered question after question. What is the city of contracts Liyue. Who’s Dvalin, the dragon from Mondstat? Dvalin. To Sara, it was easy enough to answer. She finished the quiz and rechecked her answers. She thought that she didn't need to review and take down notes yesterday, everything seemed like it was common knowledge.
Her answers were neatly written on the paper and she didn’t pay close attention. She thought that she could have saved some time yesterday instead, then maybe she could have slept earlier. She quickly shifted her focus on checking her answers, only to realize she had a wrong response. She looked inside of her pencil case to find an eraser, only to see the highlighters she used yesterday. Her test paper still needed correction, but she decided to stop and wonder.
Maybe it was the fact that she shared that tiny moment with her, a piece of information no one knew, she thought. She didn't think it was possible for someone to go beneath the blue tree at such hours, so she kept this memory close to her heart. Who was Sara to think of that? Sara, stop. She has other friends. Sara was sure someone would do that too. It was nothing special, Kokomi probably encountered this scenario before. Who was she to fall for her too?
Sara realized that she had been using a pencil to mark her exams, so she used the eraser at the tip of her pencil instead. She changed her answers then she heard the familiar alarm her professor used. The sound of paper being held and passed resonated in the room. He held the test papers and scanned paper after paper from back-to-back.
"Kujou Sara," he called. "Where are your answers at the back of the paper?" the teacher continued to flick his fingers sheet after sheet.
Sara couldn't move, but she tried to play with the tip of her pencil nonetheless.
"I expect you all to be of complete attendance in the school meeting next week. I will be discussing your field trip assignment." he exclaimed before saying his goodbyes inside the classroom.
Sara’s eyes darted across the room, one was sharpening their pencil, the other took out his phone and began scrolling through his daily timeline. She looked to her left and saw Itto combing his hair to her surprise, so she just closed her eyes and rested until the next few periods passed by one by one.
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“Dear Archons, why is it still raining?” Sara looked outside to see the trees hydrated with layers of moisture. She didn’t pay attention in math class, she couldn’t care less. Instead, she picked up her pen and began sketching random doodles in her gridded notebook until the class was dismissed. Everyone stood up and said their polite goodbyes before heading for lunch.
Sara stood up and rushed towards the canteen, but she was hindered by someone of pink hair.
“Are you on your way to see Kokomi again? Don’t forget Ei’s Dango Milk before you try to ask her out!” Miko teasingly told her and continued to walk towards her locker. The words seemed like it was half meant to her, but it made her heart pound in an irregular time signature.
The main campus grounds were full of silhouettes of people holding umbrellas passing by to grab lunch or cram their assessments. Sara searched inside the backpack hoping for an umbrella, but she was met with disappointment and the burden of having to speed through the rain again. Sara removed her backpack and placed it on top of her head to turn it into a makeshift hat while her feet dragged through wet puddles. She pondered about yesterday and what Miko said.
Her breath hitched, Miko’s words resonated with her. Sara did a swift confrontation and an assessment, so she counted from 1 to 5. At least, at this moment, she was grounded. She felt connected to the wet pavements and she was self-aware that she wanted to see Kokomi. Sara looked back, and began moving towards the opposite direction quickly to where she saw Kokomi yesterday. Swift.
It did not matter if Kokomi was there or not. At least, at this moment, she was sure of something for once. Sara yearned for something that was not someone else’s motives. It was not for Ei, for Dango Milk, or for yearning the love she thought she deserved from her father. These odd feelings for Kokomi was something that she had developed, and she kept it close to her heart until she may meet disappointment again.
She was easy to find, pink hair with blue highlights underneath the blue tree.
Kokomi held a pen and a journal. Her hands were scribbling down on what it seems to be her planner.
“Kokomi?” Sara ducked her head.
“Did I tell you to come here yesterday?” Kokomi closed her journal and looked at Sara.
Sara stood still, backpack still on top of her head. She felt a rush of heat on her cheeks. They stared at each other's eyes. Purple, it’s a pretty color. Sara blurred the line of panic, impulsiveness, or feelings.
Kokomi stood up from her seat and let out a forced laugh. “I guess I’m also waiting.” She scrambled around her backpack to search for something important. “Allow me, Sara, that’s you, right?” She opened the umbrella and went nearer to Kokomi. They unknowingly began walking towards the canteen.
“Thanks for, uh, you know, being kind to me.” Kokomi murmured to at least remove the tension. She wasn’t sure if Sara got the message because of how heavy the sound of the rain was, but she got reassurance knowing she tried to say something amidst the rain.
The world began to spin her around again, but she tried to keep her reserved expression and straight posture. She doesn’t know what happened, but she did hear. Sara rubbed her eyes and she didn’t feel the cold rain against her eyelids. Her mind began running in figures of eight, but she continued walking beside Kokomi.
They reached the doorstep of the canteen after walking in the rain. Sara began walking forward while Kokomi only stood still, umbrella still in hand. She took note of how Kokomi took a deep breath and smiled at that moment. Eyes soft, with a hint of urgency.
Kokomi looked back to see the rain, and then looked at Sara again last time. “I have to go do something.” She briskly walked, while still trying to maintain the grip on her umbrella.
“Where’s my Dango Milk?” a light tap on Sara’s shoulder.
Sara immediately knew who she was from the cadence of her voice. She hated that she forgot to stop by the nearby stalls for the milk, so Sara started heading towards the nearest
place she could think of.
Ei’s eyes shrunk “You’re not taking this again so seriously again, aren’t you?” She patted Sara on the shoulder again, but Ei felt the damp clothes. She shifted away a bit and let out a tiny gasp.
“Let’s go to Miko now, she got us seats.” Ei exclaimed. “And also please dry yourself a bit.”
Sara shook her backpack to drain some water and began to look inside her backpack. She found her pencil case, and felt the spirals of her notebook. The light touch of the handkerchief met her skin, and Sara used it immediately while walking towards the line for lunch.
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“So that’s how you fucked up the quiz”, how the tables have turned, Sara was now the one embarassed.
“If you really like her, Sara, go tell her.” Ei warned her, but it wasn’t much of a threat to Sara.
Miko’s eyes smiled, “Yes Sara, go tell her. Don’t leave her at what-ever-the-fuck zone you are in now for like you know, 500 years?” She punched the table and grabbed Ei’s attention more.
“It’s not like I like her, she’s just an admirable person who has her own capabilities.” No one heard her.
Sara just continued to grab a handful of food for herself while trying to mute the constant bickering of the two. Maybe she and Kokomi will do that soon too. Sara’s mind began to drift away.
She saw Kokomi’s eyes on the flowers. It looked just as pretty. Kokomi wouldn’t be hers, but at least flowers can be if it’s in season. Sara thought of how petty she was. She didn’t want to see who she really was, feeling was a foreign thing to her. Sara tried to find her inner voice, but nothing still made sense. The world was still spinning until now and she wasn’t as sure as she was when she wanted to see Kokomi.
“See you later.” Ei and Miko stood up.
“Wait, did I do something wrong?” Sara asked politely while trying to control the pace of her breathing.
“It’s the weekend, Sara. We’re not going to stay in the dorm.” Ei carried her trash and wore her backpack. On her way out, she threw everything in the bin.
Sara was still trying to count from 1 to five. Son of a fuck Sara 5 is your lucky number make it work.
“Talk to her.” Sara was startled. “Talk to her, trust me on this one.” Miko whispered to Sara’s ears before she left the canteen.
Sara stood up and wore her slightly less damp backpack and waited for a few minutes. To encounter Miko again would make her eyes flash in panic again, she told herself 5 times to calm herself down.
At least it was the weekend now and no one can disrupt Sara except her own thoughts. There was only light rain, so she walked slower this time. She blamed the campus for not having any roofs in the pathways in order to make herself feel less pathetic.
Sara entered her dorm room and immediately collapsed into bed, not thinking of drying herself.