It had been quite some time since the field trip. Everything was very much normal. Everything was the same.

Everything was the same.

True, the goal of the field trip was to get Takiyo and Michi closer together, but there seems as though there was no point behind it at all. Michi still practically forgot he existed. Or was it that Yoichi was trying to dominate her view more?

He honestly didn't know.

"Takiyo-kun!" Yuko came running to him sitting at his desk. She was holding a book, which seemed to be study material. She crouched in front of his desk, resting her chin on it. This seemed to be Yuko's signature position when talking to him. Whenever she would enter the classroom, and she wanted to talk to him, she would crouch in front of his desk in the same way. She often adopted this position when Arisu and Ren were included in the conversation too. It seemed to be an unconscious habit of hers.

"What's up?" Takiyo asked, in his bored voice as usual, head against his hand.

"Did you start studying for the the term finals, yet?" Yuko grinned.

"There's still almost a month." Takiyo replied dismissively. "Have you?"

"Kind of. I've been revising." Yuko replied. "Are you sure you don't want to study?"

"Nope, I'm fine." Takiyo said. "I'll just revise stuff the way I always do. About a week before the exam."

"Eh?!" Yuko asked disbelievingly. "You get through everything?"

"Yup." Takiyo nodded.

"I was thinking we could study-group together." Yuko said, smiling somewhat shyly.

"It's too early for that. Come back to me a couple of weeks before the exam." Takiyo said, leaning back leisurely. Yuko stood up and gave him a disgusted look.

She walked over to her desk and threw down the book she was carrying on it. Then she reclined in her chair too. "Then I won't study until a couple of weeks before the exams, too." she said.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah." Yuko nodded seriously. "Now I have a reason to delay my studying." She gave a wide, toothy smile, then turned back to her desk, ending their conversation.

Takiyo rested his elbow in his table again, head on his right hand, staring at Yuko,who was rummaging through her bag.

There may really be no point behind trying to get him closer to Michi. She would just get distracted again. It had been like this for nearly three years now. He was starting to get used to it.

In truth, he had also lost hope in life back then. He just roamed the world like a lonely zombie, not caring about anything in life. But wounds heal over time. Yes, it still did hurt to think it as highly unlikely to make Michi his. Back then, it felt as though he died inside every time he saw her and Yoichi together.

This was all inside his head. He would probably still be hurt just as bad, but he convinced himself he wouldn't be. He wasn't able to see the point in life back then, because he was only living for Michi. He just thought he would live and die, like any insignificant human being. Contribute to society, then die, and be forgotten. That was the circle of life.

He was kind of like Yuko. He did require saving too.

But it was okay now. It was okay.

He never thought he could value anyone as much as he valued Michi. He still valued Michi, of course. But now, this new person had entered his life too. This pitiful, self-loathing human being. Yet, he found her to be admirable.

He could hardly believe how much he changed in just a few months. He obviously didn't value her the same way he values Michi, but as a friend. It felt good to think that he had the human emotion of empathy.

Was this the true happiness of having friends? Was he really so happy to be able to have friends? Did he enjoy their company that much?

In this case, wasn't friendship better than love? All love had ever given him was pain. But since he had become friends with Yuko, Ren and Arisu, who couldn't help but feel light-hearted. Surely friends were better than lovers.

And that is why it was okay. It was okay if his love never it fulfilled. He had friends. For the first time, he had friends.

Fulfilling his unrequited love didn't matter to him anymore. The boy who had given up on life had a reason to live again. The reason was Yuko. The reason was his friends. His reason to live was to give Yuko a reason to live.

He was already saved.

The promise is one-sided now, he thought. But it's okay. I owe her.

But really, was there a point in falling in love in the first place?

Was there a point in suffering this painful love?

The point was to meet Yuko make friends, right?

No.

People don't fall in love pointlessly.

That is why, no matter how badly he wanted it, he couldn't stop being in love with Michi. If he could, he would have stopped long ago, and ended this pain.

"Jeez, what's the point?" he muttered, dropping onto his table. It took him some time to realise that he had said it out loud. He shot up and looked at Yuko, who was blinking at him.

"What's the point of what?" she asked.

"Erm...studying?" Takiyo said.

Yuko narrowed her eyes at him. "Nope. You're not talking about studying. That conversation was already over and you took way to long to say that."

"Are you sure you have trouble interacting?" Takiyo asked.

"Ren's father is a psychologist. He teaches me about human behaviour." Yuko said, diverting her eyes. "Anyway, back to the point! What's the point of what?"

"What an ironic statement."

"Takiyo-kun!"

"Mmm..." Takiyo rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably. He stalled for some time, and then turned to the opposite direction. He didn't want to put any negative thoughts in her head. But he had to say it. "What's the point of 'falling in love'."

Yuko looked blank. Then she shook her head and said, "What?"

"What's the point of falling in love." Takiyo repeated, this time more directly.

Yuko stared at him for some time. Then she gave a hollow laugh. "Why do you say that, Takiyo-kun?" she asked, returning to her bag.

"Excuse me, you were the one who told me there were more forms of love than one." Takiyo said defensively.

Yuko sighed. Then she looked at Takiyo again. "Takiyo-kun, you don't know the value of 'love' love, do you? Despite how everyone says that it's the best kind of love? I don't know what your take was on that promise, but I'll tell you mine. I want you to be able to feel that kind of love. I don't want you to die having never experienced the beauty of love. Your first love. And remember what I said a while ago? How I don't believe in true love? I was thinking maybe, just maybe, it did exist. I think your goal was to prove to me that it did exist."

Yuko put her bag down and gave him a tight-lipped smile.

"So, Takiyo-kun, don't try to teach me what you don't know yourself."

Yuko turned to face the front, and Takiyo opened his mouth to say something.

Was she angry?

He couldn't say anything. He couldn't think of anything. He just froze with his mouth waiting for words, but his mind didn't have anything for it. Then he realised, and he withdrew.

No, she's just disappointed.

He sat at his desk, eyes down.

He neglected the point of the promise. The point was to make them both happy. And he had to acknowledge that point in order to go beyond that.

---Field Trip Arc Complete--

Author's note
lost_little_child, I said I'd use it, didn't I? DIDN'T I? 😏