And the next day arrived rather quickly. The morning was just like every morning so far, with Dial feeling uncomfortable around the boys, about her own looks and not being able to interact with the other girls naturally. By the end of the day, Ms. Mari didn’t say anything at all. That was part of the plan: she would come up with an excuse the next Monday. Still, the girl felt her friends deserved to know that she was going to miss school… but didn’t know how to bring up that conversation.

The ending bell rang and all the kids left school rather fast. Yai rushed to her limousine, saying she needed to get home quickly for some extra classes. Dex didn’t stop either, his favorite TV show about to begin in a few minutes. In the end, Dial couldn’t bid farewell to them both properly. But she still had a chance with Mayl. They walked home together, just like everyday. And just like everyday, they would talk about weekend plans. Dial still didn’t know how to say it, and soon, they arrived in front of Mayl’s house.

“Well, this is my stop. See you on Monday!”, said Mayl as a goodbye.

Dial felt a bit of panic. That was it: if she didn’t step up and said something, she would lose her only chance.

“Mayl, wait!”.

Her broken voice could reach Mayl, who turned around to look at her again. She remained silent, but looked at the girl confused. Dial could feel her heart beating fast. She was nervous, but she needed to say it, at least to Mayl. She was her best friend in the end.

“I… I won’t go to school on Monday”, said Dial.

“Oh, is that so? Gotta go to the dentist? I went some weeks ago, it’s horrible”, commented Mayl casually.

“No! No, I mean…”, murmured Dial, disappointed that her words didn’t make it through. She needed to be clearer. “I won’t be going to school for a few days”.

Mayl couldn’t understand it at first, but Dial’s sad tone was enough to tell that it was something far more serious than going to the dentist. That made Mayl worry, getting closer to Dial.

“Is there any problem? Another threat?”, asked Mayl anxiously.

“What? No, it’s not that!”, answered Dial nervously. “Just…”.

But she didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t ready at that moment to tell her friend about herself. Precisely for that reason, she was going to skip school. But Mayl was obviously worried. That was the last thing she wanted, but somehow expected that situation. Knowing that being nervous wouldn’t help at all, she took a deep breath to calm down.

“Listen, I… I have something important to do. I can’t tell you much more right now. But you will know when I get back to school. Because I will, I promise. I just need a few days, that’s all”.

Dial tried to be as honest as possible within her current limitations. And that honesty reached Mayl, who looked at her friend mesmerized. Mayl had never heard Dial talk like that, but could feel the depth in her words. However, she knew the last months had been weird, with her friend showing all kinds of strange behaviors.

“Is this related to… why you look so sad everyday?”, asked Mayl shyly.

Once again, Dial was taken back by how perceptive Mayl was. She seemed to be the only one at school to notice how bad she felt every morning and related her absence was connected to that. That’s why they were so close for so many years. Dial didn’t need to say anything more, so she nodded, confirming Mayl’s suspicions. In other situation, she would have insisted in offering her help, but she quickly understood that was something for Dial to manage by herself.

“It’s ok. You gotta do what you gotta do”, said Mayl with a smile. Those mere words were enough for Dial to calm down, but she got nervous again when Mayl approached her and said while smiling: “But remember: if you are in trouble, you can talk to me. We are best friends, right?”.

For the first time in a long time, Dial felt connected to Mayl. There she was, opening up, even if it was just a tiny bit. But Mayl understood her perfectly, encouraging her to follow her path and promising to be there whenever she was ready. At that moment, the meaning of “best friends” fell short for the intense emotion Dial felt in her heart. Her friend had always been someone important to her. And that brief moment gave her the hope that she would accept her one day. She was about to cry, but tried to hold back. Not because she shouldn’t cry, not because someone told her not to. It was her wish to reveal her tears along with her whole true self. Instead, she smiled and said:

“Thank you… Thank you for being my friend”.

Mayl’s smile vanished, her mouth opening slowly in awe. Dial’s smile… It was the first time she saw her friend smiling like that. Or wasn’t it? A distant memory of a child ‘Lan’ came to her, smiling just like that when she helped her. One way or another, her smile felt so pure and… real. Noticing how long she stared at her friend, Mayl blushed and bid farewell to Dial, getting inside home and leaving Dial alone in the street. All alone, she looked up to the blue sky and the shiny sun. Maybe the weather was a good omen for her future.

“Wait for me, Mayl. One day you’ll meet the real Dial Hikari. It’s a promise”.

With that promise in her heart, Dial walked the remaining path back home, where her parents greeted her just like always. On that day, her biggest adventure in her life was bound to reach a new level, where she would stop hiding from the world she knows and show it the girl she has always been. The future might be uncertain, but she was determined not to look back anymore and walk ahead with confidence and optimism. That was her dream: to finally connect to the world and let the world connect to her real self.