When I was five, my grandmother asked me whether or not I believed in miracles.

She died a week later.

It’s not as if this was an unexpected occurrence; she’d just turned ninety and was already suffering from major heart problems. In a way, it could be considered a miracle that she’d actually lived for that long in the first place. I still cried, though, and then quickly forgot about her. In fact, the last time I remembered her words was around a year ago.

On that day.

It was near the end of the school year, when everyone was just beginning to wind down after the harsh exams. That day, I found a letter in my locker. It was white and neatly folded, its sheer professionalism making me believe that it was one of the teachers who had sent it to me. Opening it, I found only one line, written in one of the most beautiful handwritings I had ever seen.

Meet me at the tree.

This might have sounded ambiguous anywhere else, but here it was obvious what someone was referring to when they spoke of “the tree”. It was a gigantic oak rooted in the middle of one of the school’s three courtyards, claimed by the biology teacher to be over a thousand years old. Naturally, it was also the most popular place for someone to confess their love. Not that I believed it would ever happen to me.

Walking to the tree, my jaw dropped as I saw the lone figure waiting there nervously. Her name was Minami Tachibana, and she was the most popular girl in the school.

In all aspects, she was perfect.

Scoring hundreds in every subject, signing beautifully in concerts. She was a black belt as well as an honorary nurse, performing every task given to her flawlessly and without complaint. Her looks rivalled those of models, her long black hair and large brown eyes well-complimenting her slim figure. It was unthinkable that someone like that could fall for me.

‘I love you.’

I barely believed the words as they came out of her mouth. However, I knew that she was serious. Her face was slightly flushed, her eyes planted firmly on the ground. She played nervously with the straps of her bag, waiting for my answer. At that moment, all doubts were cleared from my mind. The realization that the school’s idol had just confessed to me hit me like a storm.

However, I don’t believe in miracles.

It’s been a year and a few months since then, and the new school year is just beginning. She never spoke to me again after that day, ignoring me completely the few times we passed each other in the halls. I can’t blame her.

I still remember the look that she had, one of shock and sadness. Even as tears fell from her eyes, I admired her breathtaking beauty.

Admire as I did, I couldn’t bring myself to love her.