[SS] Meddling

I guess this is what you call meddling.
That's why people say I'm a pain.
I think so too.

But I can't just leave it alone.

It has to be the rooftop.
The soles of my loafers strike the stairs.
The sound echoes.
I ran up from the first floor to the fourth in one go.

With that same momentum,
I threw open the rooftop door.

She was there.

Yumi was by the fence,
sitting flat on the ground with her head bowed.

"Yumi!"
I called out in a loud voice, even though I was out of breath.
Her bowed face slowly turned toward me.

My heart was beating like it was going to burst.
I approached slowly to calm it down,
and I sat down right next to her.

Her eyes are glistening.
Tears are about to spill over.

Before I could even say anything, Yumi clung to me.

Her body is trembling.
She's holding on so tight it almost hurts.

"..., did you confess?"
She nodded while burying her face in my chest.

"What about the answer? Did you hear it properly?"
She shook her head.

"I see...."
Her trembling seems to have stopped, and the strength in her arms is gradually fading.
Yumi sat back down next to me.

I take my smartphone out of my pocket.

"Wait here for a second."
Yumi nods slightly and keeps her head bowed.
I head toward the stairs.

Phew.

I open my messages and send one to my senior.
"I found Yumi, she's on the rooftop."
A louder sound.
Skipping two steps, then three, I rushed to the second-floor landing.

A notification of a reply.
"I'm in the classroom now. I'll be there soon."
The second-floor landing.
From across the hallway, the sound of shoes different from mine.
More powerful, with a slightly different rhythm.

Senior.

"I look forward to working with you."
I bow deeply to my senior.

The sound of shoes clicking against the stairs.
It echoes through the landing.
They are bigger and faster than mine.

Cherry blossoms are in full bloom on both sides of the school gate.
Come to think of it, the entrance ceremony felt just like this.

A wind strong enough to mess up my bangs blows by.
Is it the first storm of spring, I wonder?
The cherry trees sway in the wind, and the petals dance.

A notification on my smartphone.
"Thank you."
Just one word from Yumi.
Following that is a photo of us smiling, taken while standing next to my senior.

"Honestly, you're such a handful."
I put my smartphone in my pocket.

I have participated in this project.
Thank you very much.