The Name

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CHAPTER 12: THE NAME

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I heard it in the hallway on Tuesday.

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I was on my way to class. The hallway was crowded. Yuki was walking ahead of me with her bag over her shoulder and her posture perfect.

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A group of boys were standing near the lockers. I didn't know them. They were third-years, maybe. One of them said something to Yuki. I didn't hear the whole thing, but I heard the word.

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It was a slur. A Korean slur. Something about her father.

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Yuki didn't stop walking. She didn't turn around. She didn't flinch.

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She just kept walking, her posture perfect, her eyes straight ahead.

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The boys laughed. Nobody else in the hallway said anything. The teachers didn't hear it. The students didn't react. It was just another moment in just another day.

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Yuki disappeared around the corner.

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I stopped walking.

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I looked at the boys. They were still laughing. One of them noticed me watching. He stared back. I didn't look away.

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He looked away first.

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I found Yuki at the archery range after school.

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She was shooting. Same rhythm. Draw. Nock. Raise. Hold. Release. She didn't look at me when I walked up. She didn't acknowledge that I was there.

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I didn't say anything.

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I just sat down on the bench at the edge of the range and watched.

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She shot for an hour. Then two. The sun went down. The shadows grew. She kept shooting.

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She didn't cry. She didn't scream. She just shot arrows.

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At some point, the girl from before appeared. She sat down on the bench next to me. She didn't say anything either. She just watched Yuki with the same concerned expression.

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"You're the new student," she said. It was not a question.

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"Yes."

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"She doesn't like people watching her."

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"I know."

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"Then why are you here?"

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I thought about it.

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"Because I don't know where else to be," I said.

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The girl looked at me for a long moment. Then she nodded, like I'd passed a test I didn't know I was taking.

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"I'm Sora," she said.

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"Makoto."

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"I know."

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She went back to watching Yuki.

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I went back to watching too.

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Neither of us said anything else. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvo7jeTTt5

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