Kokoro had been picturing her slippers, and her desk, covered in graffiti. The depictions of bullying on TV always showed such things happening. The kid who wouldn’t come to school always found her chair and desk with vicious messages like Die! scrawled all over them.

No matter how often she told herself that what was between Miori Sanada and her wasn’t bullying, she was still terrified of it happening to her.

But nobody had written graffiti on her slippers, or filled them with thumbtacks. Instead, she spotted a letter.

An envelope with a small bunny sticker on it.

Hand trembling, she picked it up.

The sender’s name was on the back of the envelope.

It was from Miori Sanada.

A deafening noise rang through her ears, a smashing of glass as if the world was splintering. She ripped open the envelope.

Dear Kokoro Anzai,

I heard from Mr Ida that you would be coming to school and he advised me to write a letter to you, so I have.

I know you hate me. But I’d still like to meet you and talk.

You must think I’m horrible for suggesting it.

I know you’re upset by what happened with you-know-who (but don’t worry, I didn’t tell Mr Ida about him. Actually, I broke up with him in the summer. I thought if you still like him, I’d cheer you on).

Miori

Her hand shook even harder.

What the hell is this?

She recalled the laughing, playful banter: Mr Ida, do you have a girlfriend? Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you! She remembered Tojo-san’s cold eyes, and how she’d blanked her, and then she began to hear her own blood boiling in the veins of her temples.

She screwed the letter up tightly and put on her slippers. She pushed her toes right inside, squashing down the backs with her heels, and headed off to the nurse’s office.

If she could get there quickly, she’d be able to breathe again.

She shut her eyes and took a gulp of air, but no matter how many breaths she took her chest still hurt, and she felt herself drowning all the more.

If only she could get to the nurse’s office, Masamune would be there.

Her friends would be waiting.

All of them.

She wanted to show Masamune the letter, and hear him say, ‘What a load of crap. What a moron she is.’

My thoughts exactly, Kokoro thought.

Tojo-san had spotted her, so the news that she was at school would surely reach Miori’s ears, and quickly too. Lessons had begun, but Kokoro could picture Tojo-san scuttling over to Miori’s desk the moment the bell went.

‘Hey, you know what? She’s here.’

Kokoro felt faint.

I know you hate me. But I’d still like to meet you and talk.

Her body literally shook.