Shintaro sighed in annoyance, this girl and him were in the same class? The girl was very outgoing, kind, and always wore a red scarf around her neck for some reason, he's always been annoyed by her. They were 'acquaintances' before they started high school, then they enrolled to the same one, and now they were in the same class.

'Great,' he thought, 'just great.'

Just at this moment the girl was looking at him with a wide smile, obviously happy with this arrangement.

---------

A few months have passed and it was the same as usual. He stared at his paper he held in his hands, the number one hundred was written in bold red ink at the top. Of course. Why do they always make these tests so easy.

He looked to the girl next to him who akwardly smiled back. Another bad grade he assumed. The girl was thick in the head when it came to her studies, yet she kept on smiling. Maybe she should start studying more.

---------

"Why is there a paper crane on my desk?"

"I thought it would be nice! Paper cranes are a sign of hope and everything... and since you got a hundred on your test again, I thought you would like it!"

This girl was getting on his nerves again, but he gave up on giving her a harsh reply so he said, "You can throw it out at the end of the day."

She burst in happiness as she hugged him, "Yay!"

A faint blush appeared on his face, waiting for this moment to end.

--------

A few more weeks passed, Shintaro started to notice something a bit off with the girl, but she still seemed her usual happy self, so he remained silent about it.

One day, when he was walking out of school really late, as he was walked pass his classrom door, he heard a faint wimper. Walking back, and turning his head to see who was inside. He couldn't believe it.

She was there... sitting at her usual desk, with tears streaming down her face. His heart tugged at him, as he didn't know what to do.

Should he call out to her?

Comfort her?

Tell someone?

All those options seemed very unappealing, he looked at her again, seeing her cry... it was so weird. She's always so happy but...

Putting his thoughts aside, the boy quickly walked away, trying to avoid it. If it had nothing to do with him, then he shouldn't get involved.

--------

Something was really off today.

As he walked through the halls pf yhe school, everyone was crying, looking depressed, holding flowers. Has something happened?

He walked into his classroom, all his classmates looked sad and depressed too, he looked around for the annoying girl who would always smile but she was nowhere to be seen.

He looked to the desk next to him, and gasped. A pot full of flowerd stood in wooden desk, that only meant one thing....

She was.... gone.

All those people.... were crying for her.

But why?

Was it an accidental death?

Muder?

He then heard one of his classmates sob, "W-why did she j-jump? W-why?"

Jump?

Oh, so that's how it is. That's how she died. And now she's gone.

------

A few more months have passed after his friend's death, yes, he considered her a friend, maybe even a little bit more than that, but it's all gone now. Everyone's seemed to have forgotten about her, having their sad faces replaced with smiles, tears replaced with laughter, nothing to replace her.

Shintaro hasn't forgotten her, her hair, smile, scarf, everything still lingered in his memory. Suddenly he felt something in his eyes, they began to water as tears started spilling out of his eyes out of nowhere as he remembered everything that happened.

If only he said something to her that day he saw he crying. It could've changed the future, she could have been sitting next to him, telling him to cheer up. But she's not.

And it's all his fault

Her death, was his fault.

He's finally accepted it, as he let the last of his tears stream down he muttered,

"Ayano..."

(Sorry if it's inaccurate, I've read the manga, 5 of the novels and the first ep if the anime, so idk)