Walking down the dark streets only lighted by bright whites by the lamppost, after all the thank yous and all the gratitude thingy, Ayako and I were talking about what happened. Explaining briefly about what happened while I was beside her carrying her bags of groceries.

“It started when I was walking down the street.” She started. “Then unaware, I went passed through those guys, until suddenly one of them shouted ‘HEY GIRL!! STOP RIGHT THERE!’ then they surrounded me then explained about his shoe being stepped on, then that’s where you came in.” she said, briefly explaining the situation with gestures. Hehe, how cute, a side of Ayako I discovered.

“But did you notice that you REALLY stepped on his shoe?” I asked, suddenly curious.

“Well, I didn’t see that I stepped on his shoe, I was only minding my own business!” she explained. Well, couldn’t see? Identifying the problem the ‘detective’ way, the incident happened under a lamppost, and probably started a few inches before that, so why do you think she couldn’t see? “Maybe I was too careless…” she looked to the floor.

“Then just be more careful then. It’s a good thing you didn’t run away, or else they’ll chase you and carry you off to somewhere and do you off!” I replied, just to make her at least aware of the ordeal she had just gone through.

“I'm sorry; I just couldn’t do anything at that time. I was carrying my groceries…” she said to me, narrowing her gray marble eyes at me.

“No, I'm fine, really. You’re welcome.” I said, smiling at her reassuringly.

“Thanks…” she smiled back. Some walking, then gave me a look. “Um… are you really okay carrying all of that? Maybe you should…”

“No, I'm fine Ayako-Chan, thank you.”

While we we’re walking through the dark streets, a large billboard stood out bright and dynamic, took a look at it then it read ‘Try the All New Virgin Megastore Colors Soft Drinks!!’ all printed in bright colors which even made my eyes slightly close from its brightness. I then continued walking, but I suddenly noticed Ayako wasn’t walking beside me anymore.

“Ayako-Chan?” I called out and looked behind me; there she was, standing at the pavement, staring at the huge billboard. “Ayako-Chan?” I echoed, coming closer to her, she looked as if she were in a trance, again.

“Ayako-Chan” I snapped, and looked at me, wide eyed. “O-oh! Gomen! I'm sorry… I just got… carried away…” she blushed lightly then looked away from me. “Let’s go…” she said, and then started walking ahead of me.

I took another glance at the Virgin Megastore billboard. “What do you guys have against her??” I wondered.

----

It was around nine thirty when we reached the university dorm house; I was surprised that Ayako actually lived a floor above me. So it wasn’t much of a walk, as soon as I dropped her off, I left the premises, to avoid anymore arguments between us, after the good night and bye-bye routine, I walked to my room and dropped myself at the couch, still holding the shopping bags of the new shirts I bought.

“Ahh, this is the life… after a day out, time for relaxation…” I yawned, feeling sleepy. “Hmph, I still wonder why Ayako was staring at the billboard a while ago??” I stood, dragging the bags, walked into my room then dressed up after a few moments; I'm in my sleeping gear and made myself ready for bed, then lay down on the lower bunk.

“Maybe she’s a person who gets hypnotized with colors… hehe…” my mind concluded tiredly, then slowly drifting to sleep after a few minutes.

----

Weekends flew over my head and school came again. I feel like I didn’t even enjoy any of the days of the weekend… Chemistry class is over and next comes Abnormal Psychology after an hour. Good, at least a good one hour break is enough for me.

My classmates ran out the lab and rand in separate directions to their business to attend to. As for me, I walked over to the cafeteria. Usual routines followed as I entered. I casually walked over to the counter and ordered a nice hot coffee to keep me going and a small pack of crackers to dip it with. I walked around to find any vacancies. No luck. Everything seems more crowded today, with all the nursing students running in bedlam and ordering large amounts of food. Noise, heat and people are just starting to annoy my 2mygdale. But suddenly, before the tiny part of my brain could sprout, I saw Ayako-Chan, again, sitting alone at the table with a plate of food and a coke beside it.

I casually walked through the crowd and walked over to her table. She looked at me, and I smiled. “Mind if I sit here? Tables are all occupied as you can see” I said to her. She gave a small smile “Sure.” She said, pulling out a chair on her right side.

I sat down and took a sip of coffee and let the caffeine go through the veins. Ayako silently took a spoonful of tempura dipped in soy with rice, and then she gave an expression of… appreciation. She then said suddenly.

“Japanese cuisine never gets old…” she said dreamily. I looked at her, holding the small bar of crackers. “You okay?” I asked.

“I’m fine, Kuro-san. I’m just… savoring the taste…” she blushed lightly.

I smiled, dipped the cracker into my coffee and took a bite. “You like Japanese food?” I asked.

“You bet, my mom cooks the best tempura and makes the best sushi back at Kyoto!” she said, happily. Seeing her now, she seems like she’s in a good mood, I never seen her smile like that before and the dreamy remark thing. I just met her anyway…

Silence flows between us. We both started chowing down out ordered food till it was astonishingly Ayako who broke the ice.

“Kuro-san, I just noticed.” She swallowed, and then looked at me. “How come I keep meeting you now more often?” she asked.

I didn’t know what to say. “Well, I guess it’s just pure coincidence that I keep seeing you every now and then” Come to think of it, we keep seeing each other for quite some time now.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Well, if that’s the case…” she put down her spoon, and then held out her pinky in front of me. “Let’s be friends, okay?”

I stared at her at the moment, looking at her, eyes happily looking at me, and her hand with her pinky in front of me. “She’s definitely in a good mood…” My mind thought blankly. My mind suddenly put on an old black and white flashback on how I first get to meet her at the front of the painting, her astonished face, and her bows and the repetitive ‘I’m sorry’ she kept saying. I smiled at the thought, since I never knew it’ll end up this way. So, I put down my crackers and drew out my pinky too, then interlaced it with hers.

“Friends?”

“Friends.”

“I’m Hikari Ayako, sophomore Accountancy student, how about you?”

“Satoshi Kurogane, Junior Psychology student, its nice meeting you, Ayako-Chan.” We both smiled. Well, to me it was no problem. I could see the trust in her and I could see she was really willing to become friends. Probably because of the incident the other day with the shoes thing, maybe a thank you gift from her, Heh.

And now, this, here is where my story starts to unfold about a friend who I met was with a condition that you people have yet to find out…

Suddenly, I heard a number of students throwing loud noises of disgusts and insults. I looked around and saw they were throwing it at us. They were getting louder and louder till some Tourism students started chiming into the riot. I tried to understand what they were saying and I finally noticed that they weren’t throwing the insults at us…

…But it was at Her!!

“Eww!! It’s that weird accountancy sophomore again!!”

“And she’s made friends with a guy!!”

“Stay away from her!! You too are gonna get sucked into her weirdness!!”

“Yuck!! She’s making up with a guy!!”

I looked around some more and saw the noise was really getting louder when the Nursing students joined in the barrage. Then I looked back at Ayako, who was already in tears, crying silently while the noise of insults surrounded her. I could see both her hands on her face, her tears coming down and forming tree-like branches on her cheeks and her bangs covering her face. She suddenly stood and grabbed her books then ran out the cafeteria, and the barrage going in salvo shouting “Awwwwww!!” I stood too, and ran to chase after her.

The noise from the cafeteria roared till the courtyard, other students stood from the large garden, checking out what’s going on, and the noise from the cafeteria turned into loud and clear laughter. “Clearly they were insulting her, but WHY??” My mind wondered curiously, I stopped my pacing, looked around, but no Ayako in sight. I gave out a deep exhale, and took a hard look around once more. “No good, she’s gone.”

I then looked around the courtyard and looked for a place to sit, and then my mind suddenly shot me. “Damn, I left my coffee and biscuit back there…” I then found an empty bench and sat down there, trying to unnerve. “What happened? Why were they insulting her? What did she do wrong?” were the questions circulating in my mind. Maybe it was the things the H.R.M and Tourism girls were saying the other night… or maybe…

I suddenly heard some sniffing beside me, to my surprise, Ayako was sitting beside me, crying silently, with her arm holding on to her books, and the other wiping her eyes. I looked at her, exhaling a sigh of relief. “Are you okay, Ayako-Chan?”

“Wh-what have I done wrong, Kuro-S-San?! Is it my fault?? What did I do wrong?!” she suddenly said sharply.

“I would like to know too, Ayako-Chan…” I said, hoping that’ll soothe her. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, Kuro-san… I feel like a dumb bitch walking around this place because people just laugh and make fun of me, what have I done wrong?!?” she said, louder.

This was serious, I thought. She’s suffering emotionally, but in order to cure that, you must find out the reason WHY. “Why do you think they’re laughing at you?” I asked.

“I don’t know, really… I don’t know…” she cried even more.

I put my arm around her shoulder and held her close. “That’s it, Ayako-Chan, just cry it out. It’ll be okay…” I said, soothingly.

She looked at me narrowing both deep-gray eyes at me, still a little blood shot from tears. “I-I-It’ll be… O-Okay?” she echoed faintly.

I smiled reassuringly. “Sure it will. Let the emotions leak out and the answer will be found out…” I said, still smiling.

Her eyes close and smiled, and astonishingly, she hugged me, tight. “A-Arigatou, Kuro-san!!!” and cried even more, I just placed my hand over her head.

“I wonder what’s the problem with her?”

Abnormal Psychology class started without a hitch, ma’am Kitame launched a barrage of questions at us, but we managed to fend them off with smart answers. My mind made through the subject, but the back of it can’t help wonder what’s Ayako-Chan’s problem is. Maybe she did something embarrassing that made the other students remember her? No way, a study concluded that when such an event occurred, like doing something embarrassing, or doing a big mistake in front of everybody, the people who saw the incident won’t remember any of it in a short period of time.

Or maybe she did something REALLY embarrassing that made them really remember about her? I was starting to get baffled, even while I was doing my seatwork; my mind was going both ways. Fifteen minutes later, while discussions were done, I just sat silently on my seat till my mind suddenly lit up a bulb. I got up, and walked over Eri Hideko’s desk.

Eri looked up at me. “Yes, Kuro-kun, anything?” she suddenly asked, her eyes behind her glasses narrowing at me, her two friends who she was talking to suddenly keeping quiet.

I just smiled, grabbed a seat behind me, and sat between her and her two friends. “Nothing much, just wanted to tag along with you guys”

Eri took this without a wink. “Maybe you’re just gonna confess to me” she suddenly said, looking rather annoyed. “But I’m sorry, Kuro-kun, I’m in no mood for your love talk…”

This is Hideko Eri. Serious with studies, has no time in her hands for chit-chat and equipped with those shady eyes hiding behind those glasses. A smart cookie, and most of all, my rival in studies, well, not really, my scores just keep toppling her off her stance and well, these days, she is getting kinda… desperate to pull me out the top spot. She has NO love interest, believe me. She may look pretty with the short black hair, her nice figure, smooth legs, and the average height, but I tell you, she just dumped out 4 guys after they told them all their heartfelt feelings to her. And ouch, those guys never gave her a second look again. But I gotta confess, I too, have a crush on her, but I never really got the guts to tell her just yet.

I smiled. “I’m sorry, Eri-Chan, but I got a lotta things to discuss with you than that…” I said.

Her expression went from annoyed to serious. “Okay, so it must be serious about that ‘lotta things’ you’re gonna talk about, huh?” she fixed her glasses, and then looked at me. “Okay, spill it.”

I equipped my serious face. “I can’t talk to you now with the ladies around, let’s meet up at the courtyard after classes, and then I’ll tell you what I gotta tell.” I said, lifting an eyebrow. “How’s that sound?”

“Sounds serious…” she said, placing a hand on her chin.

“I think it sounds like a DATE!!” the girl on my right suddenly said gleefully.

“Whoa!! The meeting of two brains GOING ON A DATE!” the girl beside her shouted.

“Don’t listen to them, Eri-Chan” I said, reassuring her. “I just want you to meet someone.”

“Hmmm…” Eri thought deeply.

Around 2 in the afternoon, other students head out rushing home, the large corridors crowded, people squeezing through the crowds to just get out of the place and other bedlams. I caught Eri walking towards me in the courtyard, her black coat over her uniform and her right hand holding down her skirt from the cool winds blowing through the place. I took a long sip from my creamed coffee, despite how hot, I managed to slip it down my throat and it made me feel warm immediately. This is what I like about winter…

“So, what’s under the sun for me, huh?” Eri called up to me, she was a pretty sight, Heh.

I took the green tea styro cup beside me and offered it to her. “Here, Just take a break for a while, it’s been a long day.”

She just sat down beside me and took the cup from my hand; she took a look at its contents then said: “How’d you know I drink green tea?” she asked.

“Let’s just say I just keep seeing you order it every time during lunch…” I smiled.

“Stalker.” She said flatly in reply.

“Don’t say that, at least you won’t have to walk back all the way to the cafeteria to buy one, since it’s too crowded there by this time, and besides its on me anyway, you don’t need to pay me back.” I said, smiling at her, still holding my cup.

“Heh, you really know how to make a girl smile, Kuro-kun.” She said giving her mean girl smile at me, then took a sip of her tea. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Silence passed by while we both enjoyed the hot drinks for the cool weather. After another moment, she started the speaking.

“So, who’s that person you want me to meet?” she asked.

“Well, not really meet, I just want you to observe her behavior that’s all.”

“Ohh, I get it, you’re starting to become dumb now, that you can’t even keep track of a person’s behavior?” she said, grinning evilly at me.

“I’m serious, Eri-Chan, this person, I can’t even trace a single thing towards her attitude.”

“Who is she then?”

“Her name is Hikari Ayako, a sophomore Accountancy student. I just met her a week ago, and she has this strange behavior of staring at colored objects and falls into a deep trance to them.” I explained, hoping that’ll fit the picture right.

“Color hypnotism? Probably she’s having an OCD, or something like that.” She said after a pause. “She having social trouble?” she asked.

“Definitely, awhile ago, during lunch break, she and I were talking casually, till suddenly people started showering her with insults and made her cry and ran away from the cafeteria.”

“Hmm, hmm…” she thought deeply. “I’ll think it’ll be better if I actually get to meet the person?” she said after some silence.

I nodded. “Good idea and I think I even know where she is now…” I stood. “Come, follow me.”

----

Passing through the crowds, Eri-Chan and I managed to gape through all of them, and we reached the near exit of the University, and there I saw, the sight that caught me the first time, an Ayako-Chan, standing in front of the infamous ‘Goddess of Colors’ staring at it, in a deep trance, this time with her mouth closed.

She was holding tight onto her books, and the people passing by avoided her, some of them grinning and laughing at her, but she made no reaction, she just kept on starting at the painting in front of her. Eri-Chan and I stood a few meters away from where she stood.

“There she is, Hikari Ayako, in the flesh.” I said to Eri, who was standing beside me.

She looked at Ayako keenly with her eyes behind those glasses. “She does look like she needs help and…” she took a few steps forward. “Is that what you were saying about? She, looking at colored objects and falling into a deep trance and such?” She asked, looking back at me.

I nodded.

“Okay, things seem interesting now…” she smiled. “C’mon, let’s go say hi to her.”

“Sure” I walked ahead, Eri-Chan following close behind, and then there we stood, right beside Ayako-Chan. “Yo, Ayako-Chan! What's up?” I called, right next to her.

Well, in an instant, she snapped and gave me the wide eye glance again, then instantly smiled at me, looking quite relieved.”O-oh! Kuro-san! I didn’t see you there!” she said.

I smiled back at her. “Are you busy? I want you to meet someone, my classmate, Hideko Eri.” I said, pointing to Eri-Chan. “Eri-Chan, this is Hikari Ayako.” I then said to Eri-Chan.

Eri-Chan smiled her sweetest (and very pretty) smile at Ayako-Chan. “Hello, Ayako-Chan, its nice meeting you!” she said, still smiling at her, putting her right hand out.

When Ayako-Chan saw Eri-Chan’s smile, she looked so relieved in some strange way. “Oh! It’s nice meeting you too, Ayako-Nii Chan!” she took Eri-Chan’s right hand and shook it warmly. Wow, she even called her Nii-Chan, huh?

I cut in. “Eri-Chan and I were planning to go out for some roaming around, wanna tag along?” I smiled at Ayako; Eri suddenly looked at me with a glare that I easily avoided.

“S-sure! I-I don’t have any plans this afternoon, but can you wait here a moment, I’ll just drop these books at my locker then we can leave, okay?”

“Take your time, we’ll wait!” I said happily, Eri nodded. Suddenly I felt a sharp nudge from Eri’s elbow.

“This WASN’T PART OF THE PLAN, BAKA!!” she hissed.

I laughed. ”But I am in the mood for going out, Eri-Chan.” I said to her. “Besides, at least you’ll find out more about her enigmatic behavioral patterns, right?” I countered, a good one at that.

Eri couldn’t reply, she just looked away from my sight. I smiled.

“Now at least I’ll get a better point of view of Ayako-Chan’s problem with Eri-Chan beside me…” My mind concluded…

----

To Be Continued…