Chapter 24

                                    

                                          
"I heard what happened. Are you all right?" Chika asked the bespectacled girl, who was often found in the art room and had spent her breaks here. "Yes...thanks to Kaede and...Atsumu..." Megumi spoke quietly, feeling only slightly better.
"Somehow this is becoming your habit." Chika now addressed the brown-haired girl, who had also eaten her homemade lunch here. This room was actually very pleasant for the art club. Unfortunately, she didn't have her own club where she could exchange ideas.
"You should both come out of your shell a little more." said Kaede, who had an open book in front of her and was reading it. "It's not easy." Chika breathed out, which Megumi confirmed with a slight nod. Of all of them, the black-haired girl was the most insecure.
"I'm constantly being picked on because of my imperfections, and most of the time since middle school. Since a lot of girls look nicer and dress up, it's even harder at this age." Chika began to talk and explained to Kaede what she was talking about.
"For me, it's my name. Ever since I was little, everyone has made fun of it. When I was younger, I had even shorter hair and that's when it was the worst." Megumi spoke quietly, which is why the reason why she behaved the way she did today was revealed here.
Everyone had their own story to tell. All the more reason why Kaede even wanted to write something like this in her novel. Readers should know that there were many such problems.
"Look at me, Megumi. Do you see smooth skin here? An even complexion? No, not me." Chika got straight to the point.
Megumi only managed a gentle smile. She could really understand Chika. "I don't have...blemishes like you. But...I look like a boy with my glasses. I hide my face...behind my hair, because it's...also very chubby..."
Two girls who had different problems had something big in common here. They were constantly bullied and beaten up for what they were. You couldn't hear the extent of it, but it was bad enough as it was.
"Hm..." Chika exhaled and propped her cheek up a bit. "Maybe we should become like Kaede." The gray-haired girl said as Megumi turned to the brown-haired girl uncertainly. It was true. Kaede had a lot of self-confidence and opened her mouth when it was important. She was the complete opposite, which was why Megumi couldn't understand why Kaede was friends with them.
She was pretty, had no problems and was accepted by everyone as far as she knew. She was also part of the volleyball team, so to speak, as she had written their texts for the magazines.
"Why are you actually hanging out with us?" Chika asked, wondering exactly what Megumi had been thinking. Someone like that with Kaede with such a character didn't fit at all. 
"Hello, Kaede." Chika nudged the girl, who had now raised her head slowly and questioningly. "Huh? Did you say something?" the Tokoyami asked, slightly confused, reminding Chika of a similar situation.
Silently and with a small smile, Chika lowered her head, which was similar to what Megumi had done. Kaede was lost in her own world of books, as she often was, and the girls knew exactly that she had been listening.
It was more than clear why Megumi and Chika liked the brown-haired girl. Although the two had their problems and Kaede knew exactly what they were, she simply accepted them and didn't listen to what others had to say. For Kaede, the two were just normal people with their own character, which is why she behaved as if she hadn't heard anything at all.
And that was what Megumi and Chika liked and admired most about her. Even if Kaede was often in her own thoughts and never talked about her own problems.