"Oh, you sacred plant of life! Tell me why are you talking to me
me?"
"You nutcase, you really believe everything that is in books! It's me, you fool! Miyako!", Said the voice.
"Oh god, you've turned into a plant!"Suddenly someone was pulling her into the bush.
"Eat me, please don't!" Ran pleaded.
"Oh, Ran! I won't eat you! There's nothing to you. And by the way, I'm not a plant if it calms you down."
Ran looked at Miyako with her face turned red, but she only shook her head.
"Now let's be honest! You didn't seriously believe that I was a plant, did you?", Miyako asked with her typical strange grimace.
"Why? I believe in something like that.", Ran said and was still red in the face.
"And besides, the book I'm reading is very interesting!"
"Sometimes your book trick really gets on my nerves!"
The two girls startled when they heard the school bell. The break was over.
"Oh, no! Let's go, Miya!", Said Ran and they got up. They laughed when they looked at each other because they were covered with leaves and small twigs. While they were trying to clean themselves, Jay suddenly came."What are you doing there?" He asked and put his hands in his pocket. Ran looked at Miyako and knew immediately that she'd better answer.
"We were playing a game!" She said, trying to smile.
"Aha, it must have been a weird game. You're quite ... how should I say ..."
"Branched?" She added quickly and laughed a little contrived.
"You know, that's the way it is with us!"
"I want to play with you too.", Jay said with a grin
"What is he thinking?" Ran hissed when Jay had left, and she looked at Miyako with an expectant.
"Yeah, really!", Miyako agreed and secretly thought that he looked good. The other school hours passed quickly and no one spoke to her about running out of class.
After school, Miyako went to Ran with me. On the way there she asked:
"You Ran, what did the others say when I ran out of class?"
"Oh you know ... Nobody really said anything about it, but you know. Akiko ...""What did she say?" Hissed Miyako.
"She just added her mustard again. I told her that it was a powder puff. She completely freaked out.", Ran said with a proud expression.
"We disrupted the class and that's why we were kicked out of the class."
Miyako looked at Ran in amazement because she had never seen Ran ever to be shown outside the door by a teacher.
"Ran? But aren't you mad at me?"
"So- why should I be mad at you?"
Ran shook her head because she just didn't understand how Miyako came up with something like that.
"Because you defended me, you were kicked out."
Ran stopped as they walked along the bridge and said:
"No. I was just defending my girlfriend. That was the least I could do."
"I'm really so sorry, Ran!"
"No, you don't have to be sorry!", Ran replied and looked at Miyako with a smile.
"Besides, I would do anything for my girlfriend.""Really everything?" Miyako asked incredulously.
"Yes everything!"
"Hmmm ... Then just jump down the bridge for a moment!"
"Oh Miya! That was really not funny.", Ran said bored and went on. Miyako ran after quickly.
"Oh yes, Ran. I wanted to tell you this morning. You know what?", She asked Ran and opened her eyes very wide.
"This morning I had a strange dream. There was a"
"Urgent, urgent!"
Something interrupted Miyako. She and Ran turned to see Jay on his bike.
"What are you two pretty doing here?" He asked, putting his hand on his chin. He looked deep into Ran's eyes. She blushed a little and hastily called:
"That's none of your business!"
Miyako stepped on Ran's foot and replied:
"I'm going with Ran today. She lives around here."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ran whispered angrily.
"Oh really?" Said Jay and looked seductively at the two of them.
"You two pretty ladies shouldn't be left alone.I will accompany you for a while. "
"Oh no!", Ran thought pleadingly. "Please do not!"
Miyako was of course overjoyed. Jay pushed his bike and the three of them walked on. Miyako couldn't take it. She had to ask him something. But Ran was not very happy that he was accompanying her.
"Tell me how old are you Jay?"
"I'm seventeen. Are you interested in me?", He looked at Ran as if she had asked him.
"What are you looking at me like that? I didn't ask your age!", Ran said angrily.
"I didn't answer you either, little one."
He looked deep into her eyes again, but she immediately looked away.
Are they flirting with each other? , thought Miyako, But that is not possible! Ran surely knows that I fell in love with him. And what if he only has eyes for her and not for me?
She smiled at Jay and he returned her smile.
"Now you're exaggerating," whispered Ran and threw a nasty look at him. As they passed a whitewashed house, she said:"This is where I live. Now you can go on by yourself. Ciao!"
Miyako stared at Ran in amazement. She had never before seen her talk to anyone like that except Akiko.
“What a shame. I would have loved to stay with you.” He got on his bike, said “Ciao, you sweethearts,” and drove off.
"Ran! Why did you do that?"
"What?"
"Yeah, lied to him that you lived here."
"Because he was annoying," she said angrily.
“He wasn't annoying!” Miyako looked dreamily at the sky and imagined Jay. That was too much for Ran and she moved her friend on. When she got home, they took off their school bags.
"I'll give my mother a quick call to let them know that I'm here."
"Yes, do that!" Said Ran and went into the kitchen.

It was exactly four months before the entrance exams.