"Omne trium perfectum, means 'good things always come in threes'. Your grandma used to remind me all the time to always be mindful if something happens three times. After the third time, there will be a change, either for the better or worst - mostly better... But you shouldn't take them for granted, as bad things can also come in threes and misfortunes never come singly..."

That was her mother's final advice to her before she passed on. It was always etched in her mind for a long time, but she finally understood the true meaning behind it after 3 years since her mother passed on. She used to deny it adamantly, claiming that she didn't really believe in superstitions and that those were worthless words of wisdom, unlike her mother, who was a superstition freak, to say the least.

But now, a sudden spark made her finally realised what her mother was trying to say after all. Only if Chiaki had realised sooner, she could have stopped herself from doing it.

She failed to realise her mother's message. Even though she didn't confess to Makoto thrice, she waited for three years to confess... For all she knew, Makoto would have been interested in her during the first or second, had his friends not influenced him negatively behind her back...

She waited for three years to finally understand her mother's advice.

Sounds pathetic, huh?

Maybe...maybe not...

Chiaki couldn't move on yet. Her confession would always be flashing in her mind 24/7, eerily reminding her of the 'sin' she'd committed. And no matter how many times she pretended that the confession did not happen, the scene would be replayed over and over again. It clouded her thoughts so much that she couldn't concentrate on anything.

She began to isolate herself even more.

As if she wasn't already...

She didn't care if people bullied her. She wouldn't budge, fight or even talk back... She would be as still as a statue, as quiet as a mouse and as broken like a mirror dropped from the sky. She was just a mask... not a clown.

She became a hollow husk, like a wandering soul trying to make her way through life. She felt as though the world and everyone around her sucked her heart, soul and energy, draining her every single day.

And it was all Makoto's fault.

She tried to look past him and see him as someone who makes mistakes.. just like every other human being. She wanted to stop viewing him as a god-worthy prince and see him like a normal person.

Yet, she couldn't.

Having developed the perfect image of Makoto in her head for such a long time, she denied that Makoto had any actual flaws. Yet, like a chandelier falling from a mansion, even something so beautiful and majestic, can certainly be destroyed, causing everything to shatter and be in ruins.

She tried to forget about everything... from her emotions to her confession.

But her classmates wouldn't...

Constantly making fun or her, having their hearts filled with abhor and jealousy, made them become blinded to Chiaki's 'emotions'. Even if the confession happened weeks or months ago. They loved shoving her harsh reality in her own mask...

As if she needed a constant reminder about how much her life sucked...

They didn't need to rub it in every single day. She already knew she was living in a heinous hell. No amount of verbal abuse would actually reflect the torture that was chained onto her.

She had enough of this crap. She wanted to change and remove the mask. Though, no matter how much she tried, her painful past prevented her from pushing and persisting on. Chains were shackled tightly around her limbs, bridling her from trudging through life. It was virtually impossible for her to escape... She was already jaded and inundated from everything... What more torture did she need to suffer from?

Sadly... she didn't know what to do.

She could scream for help... but who would want to offer her a hand?

She had no one to trust, including her own family...

She could inform the teachers, but what could the teachers do? They couldn't blame anyone for the bullying as the bullying occurred over something petty. Even then, the teachers could only reprimand the bullies and maybe call their parents. But the bullying would still continue, if not worsened, if the teachers never monitor their students consistently.

With all of her options unavailable, the only thing she could do... was mask her emotions...

On, the other side, Makoto felt guilty for what he had done to Chiaki. It tainted his reputation as someone who was deemed respectable to someone who was a jerk... even if it only affected one person. His actions were like a dot of black ink on white cloth - small, but obvious and from something pure, it became something dirty quickly.

Even though his friends were cool with it and were still spending time with him, he felt as though there was an invisible barrier surrounding him. Even though girls were still flirting with him, he never had the mood to talk to them for more than 5 seconds. He felt that he was no longer the cheerful, 'amazing' and popular, Makoto. It felt as though he was trying to cover up his true self even more - fearing that more people would be aware of his vulnerability.

Something about Chiaki made him very uneasy. It was as though his eyes widened to something that he had never encountered before. Maybe Chiaki made him realised that not all things were what they seemed...

It especially struck him after seeing Chiaki's face for the first time.

He realised that she was indeed beautiful... maybe even more than all the girls he dated. Her midnight black hair that flowed over her shoulder and shone that he failed to notice despite being classmates for almost three years. Even though she wasn't crying profusely, it made him realise so many things that other people were clueless of. Maybe her cry was a sign of someone desperately trying to be accepted, a yell for people to understand her and how she's just like Makoto and everyone else - a child who's prone to making mistakes and a child who longed to be accepted.

'Who knew that the person trying to cover up everything had the most amount of things to showcase to the world? Who knew that someone so quiet had a lot of things to say? She didn't even say much, yet she could convey her message so clearly through her emotions...'

Makoto was then struck with the biggest epiphany - Why was he too dumb and naive to judge someone so fast when that person had admired and respected him since day one?

Even though Makoto believed that he was different from Chiaki, it turned out, they might be both unknowingly stuck in the same situation.

Both had been struck with a painful realisation at some point in their life, feeling very shocked and not knowing what to do...

Though, there's a distinction...

While one was trying to move on from the past...

The other - still stuck in a dilemma.

Makoto did not know about Chiaki being bullied.

In fact, he was completely oblivious and clueless.

The only thing he knew was that the rumour of Chiaki confessing to him had spread like wildfire. The only bullying incident he was 'aware' of was when his friend recorded the confession which made him laughed alongside with his friends.

But what he didn't know was that people were attacking both Chiaki and him behind their backs. It made sense for Chiaki though... but for Makoto...

It seemed a bit weird huh?

Why would people be talking about Makoto?

Who knows?

But for as far everyone knows, both are completely lost... with nowhere to go.