Dear Journal,

I don't even believe what happened today; I'm still so amazed. Not only did I have an exellent with Hiro, but he gaveme the
prettiest necklace. It's so pretty. It's this thin sliver wire and there's this little diamond that's got a hole through the width
of it so it can be strung through the wire. I love it so much, and it must have cost him so much! I've never got anything like
this from a boyfriend espcally after only a month. I showed it to my mom and she couldn't believe it either. I can't even
imagine that I had doubts with him!

Shiori!



***



Touma walked slowly to the bus stop. Partly because he was early, and partly because he knew what he'd see. He would see
Shiroi and Hiro, and he knew what as going to happen in a matter of days.

He heard something that sounded like fast footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw that it was Satsuke. She was
running to catch up with him. When she saw him turn around she raised her arm and waved. When she caught up with him
she put her arms around his neck and surprised him with a hug. Touma bent over ridigedly and put one arm behind her back.

"What's with you??" Satsuke said when she realeased him.

"You don't normally give me a hug. I was just a little surprised, that's it," Touma said turning away trying to look for the bus
stop which was only a few yards ahead.

"It wasn't the hug, I can tell. There's something else bugging you, and I bet I know," Satsuke said getting in front of him,
trying to make eye contact.

"You'll know part of it, but there's another part that you don't know."

"Well, did I get the Shiori part right?"

"Yeah."

"Well then, what else is there?"

"I saw something on Sunday, when we went to the park and I went to follow Hiro. He went back to his car alright, but
there's more he wanted other than the car. Yukiko was there."

"Big deal, Yukiko was there, who was she with??"

"Hiro."

"Oh." Satsuke looked up towards the stop. "Are you going to say anything?"

"Are you crazy!?! I don't even know her!! I'm just going to walk up to her and say: excuse me, but I was spying on your
boyfriend and I caught him cheating on you with your good friend??" Touma replied.

"You don't have to tell her, you can write her a note and leave it somewhere."

"But that's taking the easy way out," Touma said as he saw Shiori walk up to Hiro at the nearby bus stop.

"The easy way out is not telling her," Satuske said trying to get him to tell her.

"Yeah, just go and break someone's heart. She wouldn't believe me, and then she'd go to Hiro and tell him and he'd really
lay it on me. Yeah, Satsuke, that's just what I need."

"Either way you're screwed." Touma looked down at her, surprised at her response.

"She could become like you when she learns, so that would mean that since you came to me after..."

"And she could go and become a nun," Satsuke cut in.

"Real cute."



***



Shiori walked up to the bus stop to see Hiro there sitting on a bench. She snuck up behind him. When she got close enough,
she wrapped her arms around his neck. Hiro looked back at her and the very large grin on her face. He gave her a little kiss
on the cheek and she unwrapped her arms. She went around the bench and sat next to him. He then put his arm around her.
Shiroi looked up at him, somewhat surprised that he'd do that at the stop in front of so many people. She could see Yukiko a
little off to the side with a very dissatisfied look on her face.

"I wonder what wroung with Yukiko," Shiori said to Hiro still looking over at her friend.

"She's just probably mad at Juzo, as usual," Hiro said looking at Yukiko and smiling.

"But, they broke up."

"Well...you know Yukiko...always...mad at something." Shiroi looked at Hiro and wondered why he was thinking so much
about what he's saying. She shrugged it off; Hiro's not exactly not the brightest crayon in the box.

The bus rolled around the corner and all the students and the others going to work. Hiro and Shiori sat together as usual.
Touma managed to sit in the seat across from them. He looked over at them and amagined what it would be like tomarrow if
he broke up her after school. So taken in by his thoughts of the future, he falied to realise that they were already at the stop
by the school. He got up and stood patiently behind Shiori.



***



Lunch time rolled around and Touma just as curious as usual, was still spying on Shiori and Hiro, looking for any time where
they didn't seem to be having a good time. Touma tried to listen in, but then he figured that if anything would happen that
you could definately hear Hiro or maybe even Shiori, although she seemed quiet. The guy did get her hopes and to find out
what he's really like would be enough to break anyone's heart.

"Nothing," Touma said to himself. "Well, come to think of it why am I so interested in her heartbreak. I feel so...warped. I'm
so anxious to see heartbreak. Then again, it's hard for me to even look at them now. She's having such a great time with
him, while he knows what's going on. Oh well, it is like watching a soap opera with all that dramatic irony."

Satsuke walked up next to Touma and sat next to him.

"So, still waiting for the heads to roll??"

"Yeah...why am I even doing this??"

"Maybe it's because you care for her. I mean, you don't like to see people get hurt, so you're so bent on seeing this go
down. You're too entised by the possibilty of her breaking up with Hiro, which is what you wanted might I add."

"I wanted her to break up with him, not for her to get her heart broken into little pieces."

"Then say something."

"It's not that easy, you know."



***



School passed by even faster than what Touma had expected. He figured the seconds to pass by like minutes, but it quite the
reverse. Nothing was happening, which is what weighted on his mind the most. Hiro had to break it to her sometime, he did
tell Yukiko he couldn't wait until he dropped the girl he was with now. The only part that hadn't happened yet was the break
up. That one little part.

Touma got off the bus, tired . He looked up at the sky and it started to rain. Luckly he normally carried an umbrella around; it
was the rainy season you know. He started to walk home, alone in the rain. Most people were running home, trying to get
out of the rain, but Touma stayed. He liked the rain right now; it mirrored his feelings. He was far enough from the bus stop
not to see or hear anything that was going on there, yet he managed to her a faint yell. he couldn't quite put it finger on it. I
was only a short yell, and he could only tell that it was coming from ahead of him.

He walked ahead for about ten more minuates and he noticed someone sitting on a bench in the rain, without an umbrella,
very wet. He walked closer as he noticed that it was Shiori. His heart nearly skipped a beat. It was hard to make out any
tears, but her eyes were quite red and puffy. That's probably what that yell was. It finally happened; Hiro did his job. He
thought to himself what, if anything, he was going to say to her. Luckly she was sitting on a bench near an intersection, so if
there were any cars coming, he'd have to wait to cross the street. That's his moment.

Touma walked up to the intersection with his umbrella in hand. Today was rather busy, although it was raining. He stood
there waiting for the light to turn green. Out ofthe corner of his eye he noticed Shiori get up and stand beside him,
probably trying to go home now. He looked down at her and smiled.

"Forget your umbrella??" Touma asked her.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," she said sniffling.

"Is there something wrong, you seem upset," Touma asked her, faking a concerned tone. He did know what happened. "Oh
yeah, I'm Touma. You're Shiori, right??"

"Yeah, how'd you know."

"You kinda sit behind me in class."

"Oh, you did look familiar," she replyed. The light turned green and Touma cursed himself as he noticed that they were
going different ways.

"Wait, before you go. I know it might be a little late, but girls shouldn't have to stand around in the rain," he said as he gave
her the umbrella. He started to run off.

"Touma, what about you??"

"Just give the umbrella back to me tomorrow, unless you're going to be gone."

"Oh, I'll...just give it back to you tomorrow. It was nice meeting you."

"See you tomorrow." With that Touma ran in the other direction smiling to himself.



***