Kurumi found herself writing a certain name again in her notebook of “People who called me Ume”.
“Kuronuma Sawako” scribbled carelessly into each page, with the lead of Kurumi’s mechanical pen quickly dulled and the end being aggressively clicked every time it got too short.
A tsunami of anger raged in Kurumi’s mind, does “Sawako-chan” think she can get with someone as kind and open-minded as Kazehaya? She hoped that Kazehaya just befriended her out of pity…
After a long night of prioritizing her violence of emotions over doing something productive, Kurumi finally let her head hit her soft, silk pillow and rest… But something, or someone was bugging her mind like a swarm of wasps.
Kuronuma Sawako
God, Kurumi hated her… Her dense, shy attitude made her want to tear her hair out, she felt as if the girl was born yesterday and was dropped on her head.
All those rumors Kurumi desperately passed around to keep Kazehaya away from her was now turned against her by Chizuru and Ayane, Sawako’s friends.
“I hate her, I hate her, I HATE HER!!!” Kurumi let out a muffled scream with her face buried in the smooth, silk pillowcase, her fists gripping the bedsheets so tight the fabric was holding on for dear life at this point.
Stupid Sawako… With her dainty, petite frame; her fragile, plush skin; her pale, porcelain complexion; her round, earthy eyes that reflected the clear blue sky; her long lustrous jet-black hair the wind gently blew on the day Kurumi’s true color were revealed…...
Wait, what was Kurumi thinking of again?
Oh right, she hates Sawako.
Despite the words “I hate Sawako” being etched into each crevice and corners of her mind, the rival she swore to hate was driving her mad, and not in the way she thought it was.
Each night, no matter how comfortably Kurumi rested her head against her soft, clean pillow, she became restless. Sleep avoiding her like the plague every night after her encounter with her new arch-nemesis. “I can’t take this anymore!” Kurumi internally yelled, determined to fix this issue, decided to face it head on….
“What did you want to meet me for, Kurumi-chan?” a soft, nervous voice spoke, slicing through the tense atmosphere that was created between the two girls.
This was a lot harder than Kurumi thought.
“K-Kuronuma...” Kurumi accidentally stuttering, her words not coming off as firm as she planned, her chocolate brown eyes avoiding the nervous gaze of the other girl and her heart racing.
“Yes?” Sawako shyly chirped back, not wanting to sound rude or gloomy as she usually does, her heart also racing but out of nervous anticipation.
“Did you put a curse on me?!” Kurumi yelled, her answer laced with a sense of uneasiness.
“O-of course not!,” the black haired girl answered, “I-I know I look like a super creepy ghost- But I would never-“
“Stop saying you look like a ghost, it’s bothering me!” Kurumi accidentally blurted out, her hands quickly pressed against her mouth with her cheeks dusted a rosy color.
“I-I mean- I- Would you just get this curse off of me?!” the coffee-brown haired girl quickly exclaimed to cover up what she just accidentally spouted.
“I’m sorry, but I’m no exorcist... But, I-I can find one for you if you’d like-“
“NO!” Kurumi lashed out, “I know it’s you, it’s DEFINITELY you! Every night, all my thoughts are plagued by YOU! All the time, I can’t think of anything else! When I hang out with my friends, it’s you. When I eat dinner, it’s you! Hell, even when I’m writing in my diary, it’s YOU! Is this your way of taunting me, Sawako-chan?! To remind me of the fact that Kazehaya will NEVER LOVE ME?!”
Sawako trembled, her anxious voice quickly blurted-“Never! I-I promise you, I think that you’re a much better match for Kazehaya than me! You’re cute, popular and kind and-“
“Enough!” Kurumi closed her eyes to begin a furious monologue “Quit sugar coating everything! I just want this curse off me and for you to LEAVE ME ALONE! You’re not my friend, you’re not an acquaintance, you’re just a PEST to me!-“ Kurumi yelled, not noticing the salty tears slowly streaming down her eyes, only stopping her rampage of words when she suddenly felt a soft fabric gently press against her right eye.
“H-huh?” Kurumi opened her eyes, just to see the girl she was lashing out at delicately wiping away her tears as a feeling of guilt washed over her like a calm after the storm.
“Don’t worry, it’s clean… I saw that you were crying a-and I felt terrible because… I was the reason you were crying.” Sawako apologized, her already soft-spoken voice laced with a sense of care and reassurance.
“Hmph...” pouted Kurumi through sniffles “Don’t act like you care about me! I know you’re just being nice cause you pity me…” with Kurumi looking down in embarrassment due to the fact that the person she cried in front of was Sawako.
“It’s fine.. I’m okay with you crying in front of me, you don’t need to be embarrassed, Kurumi-chan…” Sawako spoke faintly, a gentle and tender smile plastered on her lips. “They look so soft…” thought Kurumi.
“Whatever… Just… Don’t tell anybody I cried in front of someone like you, alright?!”
“O-of course! Your secret is safe with me, Kurumi-chan.” The butterflies in Kurumi’s stomach fluttering again at the sound of her rival’s voice calling her in an affectionate way.
“A-anyways, I have things to be doing, so you should scram…” Kurumi looked the other way, avoiding the bright, earthy eyes of the other girl.
“Okay! I-I guess I’ll be going now, I look forward to seeing you again, Kurumi-chan…!”
Once her rival left, so did the butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
Kurumi stood there to look back for a moment, a small smile tugging on the corners of her lips:
“Maybe having a rival isn’t that bad after all.”
That night, Kurumi had an amazing night’s sleep.