ᰔᩚ𝚂𝚞𝚐𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚊 𝚔𝚘ushi ᰔᩚ

The air smelled of warm earth and open crayons. It was one of those mild spring days when the world seems to be on pause: not too hot, not too loud, just...calm. The school garden was dotted with laughter, loose leaves, and crooked drawings. The trees cast shade as if trying to embrace the world, and the wind blew slowly past, moving everyone's backpacks and hair as if caressing it. Under one of those trees sat Sugawara Koushi. Sitting cross-legged on the grass, his hair slightly tousled and a leaf folded between his fingers, he listened to a group of children all speaking to him at the same time. His smile was soft, barely curving his lips. As if nothing else were needed to make him feel at peace.

"Teacher, do you have a girlfriend?" a girl asked, a flower stuck in her hair and tempera-stained fingers.

Sugawara looked down at the drawings in his hands. There were flowers, crooked houses, and a poorly drawn heart.

"Not yet," he replied calmly, without looking at anyone, as if he were talking to himself.

"Why not?" another child asked, curious.

He just chuckled, and before answering, he looked up. On the other side of the garden, there was you. Sitting under another tree, legs out to the side, several children painting around you. Your hair was loose, slightly ruffled by the wind, and paint was on your cheek. Your voice was low, your laugh even lower. You didn't want to disturb the peace. But at that moment, without thinking, you also looked up, and the world stopped. The children's cries, the wind, the footsteps, everything became a distant murmur. His eyes met yours. There was no surprise. There were no words. They were still immersed in the moment. The moment was broken when a child accidentally knocked over his water bottle. The magic was suspended…but not forgotten. Sugawara looked down, smiled to himself, stood up, and walked over to where you were. read what is on the sign

THE CONTINUATION

"Excuse me," he said in a calm voice, as if he didn't want to interrupt a beautiful moment. "Do you have any blue tempera paints left? We're out of them here... and well, someone decided the sky needed more sky today."

I'M FINISHED HERE, THEY JUST WON'T LET ME PUT MORE

I'd never seen the sun shine like that through the branches... until you sat under that tree.