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“…lings for me?”
“Sorry, what?”
“I asked if, towards me, you have—“
“Right, I heard you correctly the first time.”
A boy and a girl! Talking!
Tsukada, a long-time teacher in Chidori High School, did not mean to eavesdrop. He left school, only to realize he left his wallet. The faculty room was closest to the back entrance, so that’s the path he took.
“How do I say this…”
“It’s alright if I’m assuming incorrectly.”
Tsukada was lucky there was a mini forest by the back entrance and he was hidden between the trees.
There was silence from the direction of the voices.
It was the girl’s voice that broke the silence. “I apologize. I have made you uncomfortable. Not only this time, but all the other times too.”
“Uh, no! You didn’t. Seriously. I just, uh, am thinking.”
Tsukada continued walking to the school building. He would not trade the trust of his students for his own curiosity. Still… it shouldn’t hurt to listen in whole they were within his hearing range, huh?
The boy continued speaking, voice nervous and young to the teacher’s ears. “About your question earlier… why do you ask?”
Tsukada was getting farther away from the voices as he neared the school building, but he could hear the girl’s voice waver. “Because you’re a very kind person and I find that trait very likable. In a friend. In a person. I’m aware I have many shortcomings and there’s still so many things I need to learn. Everyone has become very precious to me. But you… I wonder… can you keep watch over me?”
Aww. Tsukada entered the building without anyone noticing and the voices turned too soft for him to hear. But what a surprise! A blooming friendship!
This particular encounter left Tsukada remembering another instance about an hour earlier.
When a group of unusually high-pitched voices pulled him out of his reverie as he walked within the empty school hallways. He turned his head.
Three girls wearing the uniform from their neighbor school looked at him with wide eyes. “Oh, a teacher!”
He remembered plastering a welcoming smile on his face. “Hello there. Can I help you? What brings you all to our school halls?”
The one with pigtails on either side of her head nodded vigorously. “Yes, please! We’re looking for a group of boys. We wanna surprise our friends.”
The girls’s didn’t mean to, but they surprised him too. It’s only been a month since they made peace with Kikyo Private Academy. Before that, a group of first years from both schools were spotted together, sparking outrage. Teachers and older students of both schools suddenly had ten times more shouting matches to protect their own and insult the outsiders. It should never have escalated, because the first year boys and girls formed pure and good friendship. It took a few weeks, but peaceful talks and partnerships between the schools finally happened.
For Tsukada himself, it was shameful that no adult tried to lessen the hostility between schools. It took naive first years who didn't have an idea of the history of school rivalry to make everyone realize that it wasn’t normal nor should it be encouraged to be so hateful towards the other school.
The girl in pigtails didn’t stop talking. “We all have our own celebrations with our own families, but we wanted to spend some time with each today. After all, we have the same day for our graduation ceremonies!”
It amazed Tsukada greatly that the youngsters could form tight friendships within just a month of having ok relations with the rival school.
He noticed the girl with bright, silver hair was looking around and wringing her hands together. She looked a distressed, unnoticed by her friends since she was standing a little behind them.
Well, it’s understandable that she’d be nervous going into an all-boys school. Years of rumors and habits would not be erased so quickly. Sure, there was considerably more friendly greetings between the students at the the school gates during start and end of classes, but most second and third years just ignore the other school students.
“What a nice idea,” he exclaimed to the talking girl. “What are their names? Some students are still in the auditorium, but some of them are just walking around.”
“It’s—“
“Oh! Rintaro-kun just sent a message,” the third girl with long, dark locks for hair tapped at her phone screen, cutting off her friend. “He said they’re by the basketball court, waiting for Natsusawa-kun.”
“By Rintaro, do you mean Tsumugi Rintaro? Friend of Natsusawa Saku?”
She bobbed her head in confirmation. Huh, a girl in first-name basis with a student from Chidori? And didn’t he hear before that Tsumugi got himself a girlfriend?
He recalled thinking that maybe the first years that caused commotions weren’t the only ones who formed friendship with students from the other school unbeknownst to anyone else.
He chortled but managed to keep it down. “Ah, then you should just go straight this hallway and you’ll find yourselves at the court. Natsusawa should be in the faculty room at the second floor. I heard some teachers want to have a word with the valedictorian before end of today.”
The three of them bowed in gratitude before they walked down the hallway, while he continued on his way on the opposite direction of the girls, to the gates of the school.
He heard their voices behind him brighten up the empty hallways.
“Kaoruko, can you send a message to Tsumugi-kun to make sure they stay put? But don’t give a hint we’re coming!”
“Of course!”
“Should we wait for Natsusawa-kun to join them before we surprise them?”
“I think he’ll still be surprised even when he arrives and we’re with the other boys.”
“That’s true. But I could… also go surprise him?”
There was a lull in the long hall, when only one pair of footsteps were heard. The others probably stopped walking. And then he heard excited shouts behind him.
“Yes, yes!”
“Go, girl!”
“Then, I will…”
The voices faded as he turned a corner. Tsukada didn’t know which girl volunteered to go meet the student upstairs, but he hoped she wouldn’t get lost. There were some stairs that were blocked for repairs.
He hoped the boys would be surprised with the visit from their friends. He almost wanted to follow secretly to see their reactions.
Chuckling to himself, he let the youngsters be.
Back to present, Tsukada jogged down the stairs with his wallet now safe in his pocket. He was whistling and forgot to stop when he re-entered the mini-forest.
Voices stopped mid-sentence upon his disturbance. Feeling bad for ruining the atmosphere, Tsukada thought that it might be better to say hello before going on his merry way.
He popped his head to a small clearing shaded by the canopy of trees around. He was right! It was one of the Kikyo girls earlier.
“Hey! So you found Natsusawa, that’s good! Did you get lost?”
They slightly jumped, seemingly away from each other when they saw him.
The girl winced in embarrassment. Her hands wereover her heart, in the shape of a fist, like she was holding something small. “Oh! Yes, actually. I am surprised at how big this school is. But it looks very lovely.”
How polite! Before he could answer though, his former student and the newly high school graduate Saku spoke up. “She messaged me for help, but I misread some texts and we went on a goose chase before finally meeting here. What about you, what are you still doing here, Tsukada-sensei?”
“Good that you’ve found each other!” Tsukada thought he saw shades of pink dust the cheeks of the two teens. “I’m on my way out now. Congratulations, you two. And I hope you both get home safe!”
He walked away from them and continued whistling notes in the air, but keeping an open ear on what they say.
“Perhaps we should also go, Natsusawa-kun?”
“Y’know, you can stop being so formal. We’ve known each other for quite a while now, right?”
Shy giggles emerged from the girl. “If you insist. Oh, and we really should learn how to communicate better. The chase around the school was fun but tiring.”
A nervous tremor could be heard from the boy’s voice, despite his teasing tone. “You’re as direct as ever, Hoshina-san. But yeah. I think we have time to figure that out and get to know each other more.”
“Then, please take care of me.”
“Likewise.”
Tsukada wished with all his heart that both Saku and the silver-haired girl stay good friends even well into the future.
He exited the school gates and didn’t look back, missing the moment when two red-faced newly graduates gingerly held each other’s hands.
He didn’t even notice that the second button of Natsusawa’s uniform was missing.
—————
The covered court was packed.
A trio of freshmen decided to seat at a spot with good view of the whole the basketball court. Their reason? Just one.
Natsusawa Saku.
Their fellow first-year student in Tokyo University.
One of the trio was slightly familiar with him. They had the same literature and math classes. It’s only been two months since they semester started, but it’s enough time for her to admire him.
The first time the student met the guy was during their class introductions. They were all in the same program for education. He didn’t stand out in class, but he certainly did by end of the day when he was seen brawling with another guy by the gates of the school.
The student was perplexed. Who would join a fight within school grounds on the first day of school?
Then she saw two guys pull the fight apart. Upon squinting, she found that they must have been only play fighting as there were no scratches or bruises. Also, the three girls around them were laughing without a hint of worry.
They must’ve made up or something, because one said something that made their whole group erupt in cackles, except for her classmate and a girl wearing a long grey wig. The two’s faces turned a shade of red so bright the student even saw it from the distance.
The student found herself getting jealous. She wished she didn’t leave her hometown so she could still be with her friends and have fun with them.
The group exited the scene, the girl with grey wig walking in front with arms linked together with another girl. Handsome classmate brought up the rear, kicking the back of the knees of the guy he was wrestling on the ground with.
The student resumed walking, too. There would be time to make friends later. For now, she needed to get used around Tokyo University.
Only a few days passed but the student figured that she already got used to the noise and bustle in the busy halls of the campus.
“Saku-kun!”
The student side-eyed the girl who raised her voice and blinked. Was that silver color her real hair?
No one paused and looked at her, though when she called out the name again, heads turned to her direction.
Seeing as it’s not her business, the student went inside the classroom and sat on the chair nearest the door.
And noticed that the silver-haired girl paused outside the classroom, peeking in.
The person she’d been calling for was probably one of her classmates.
The guy seating in the first row with the student stood up and approached the door. Was that who she’s looking for?
“Hi!” He greeted the girl cheerfully. The girl jumped out of… fright? Shock? The guy continued as if nothing happened. “You looking for someone? You can just come in. There’s still 10 minutes before classes start.”
A tall, handsome guy followed behind. “Hey, she’s here for me. Thanks, though.”
When the first guy went back to his seat, the door remained open, allowing the student and those in her row to eavesdrop unintentionally.
“Sorry, I didn’t notice you earlier. Did I upset you?”
“Why, did you do it intentionally?”
“Of course not!”
“Then, there’s no reason for me to be upset.”
“Just wanted to make sure you’re ok…”
A breathy laugh that was so feminine and dainty filtered through the door. “You worrywart, I’m fine! No big deal! I just wanted to say that we should start planning and strategizing already.”
“Ah. Are you really expecting it to go badly?”
“Of course not! It’s just that… when I introduced myself to everyone last week, I was a wreck. I wouldn’t want that to happen to you, so we should go over some things before Friday.”
A deep sigh. “You saying that makes me nervous now. But at least you were familiar with Mio already, so that helped you, right?”
“Yes. And I know I could’ve messaged about this, but you know me.”
“Right, you’re an old person who doesn’t know what the youngsters are talking about these days.”
“Ha-ha. Slang is tricky, but I’ll have you know that I can now create reels! Madoka-chan taught me.”
“… That just confirms what I said.”
The student nearest the door hid her laugh behind coughs.
The girl’s voice started again, “I found a new cafe, we could go there after classes today?”
“Gotcha. Thanks a lot, when I’m the one who should put in the effort. I might check with Rintaro how he did during his first meeting and if he has tips for me.”
“Alright. See you later, Saku-kun! But you know what, I’m sure you’ll have a good impression with everyone.”
“If they’re anything like you, then I really need to be worried. Did you already forget how we first met?”
Was it for class introductions? Maybe there were already project presentations two weeks into the semester? The student shuddered. She heard there were some classes with research papers as their first homework.
The student watched the handsome guy walk from the door to his seat. He was nice to look at, with high cheekbones and a sharp jawline. He looked gloomy, though it was probably because he hid his eyes behind long bangs. It added an emo-type charm to his appearance.
“Settle down, we’re starting the class,” a middle aged man hollered as he entered the classroom.
The student decided to pay attention to roll call this time. She couldn’t keep calling this classmate as the “handsome guy” in her mind forever.
She raised her hand as her name was called. The guy who talked first to the silver haired girl answered to Hamada Ryo. And the handsome guy responded to Natsusawa Saku.
Few weeks went by and it soon turned obvious he both had beauty and brains. It was so cool to see him effortlessly answer the teacher’s questions and appear good-looking at the same time.
The student didn’t share the physical education class with him, but for mid-semester evaluations, the basketball instructors decided to have some fun and have an interclass tournament. Anyone could watch.
The student was there with her friends to show them who her happy crush was.
When it was her handsome classmate’s team’s turn to play, the student excitedly pointed at him while shaking her friends. Her friends wondered if it was possible for a guy like him to not be in any relationship. The student wasn’t sure. There no gossips on relationships going around in their shared classes.
The student and her friends looked at the front seats. Usually, that’s where the partners of players sat, so they could cheer their boyfriends on. There didn’t seem to be anyone cheering specially for the handsome guy.
It’s an impossible act anyway, because they didn’t know who to search for. Her friends gave the search up immediately, but the student swept her eyes on the crowd and backwards, to the last rows of the bleachers.
There at her back, beside the exit, stood a silver-haired girl wearing a face mask and a severe facial expression, like she wanted to leave immediately. The student saw her close only once, and it was during the first week of classes. Her appearance and aura were unforgettable, but the student didn’t think there was anything more between her and Saku.
The whistle blowed. The student whipped her head to the players as the game started.
Twenty-five points into the game, the student laughed in delight. Saku, the handsome guy and genius classmate, was also good in sports. Her friends were muttering that it was unfair he was blessed on so many aspects.
He scored another three points in one shot. It was comical how it felt like her entire section held their breath when his gaze roamed at their direction and waved a hand.
The game ended in favor of her happy crush’s team. Her friends teased her that she should shoot her shot soon, because he probably caught many girls’ attention during the game. Who didn’t want a hottie who was also good in sports?
Maybe she would confess in the future, but the first step was to have a short conversation with him. When that would be, she didn’t know. But maybe she’d get lucky and he won’t get himself a girlfriend yet when that happens. For now, her happy crush would stay as it was.
The three girls giggled amongst themselves as they waited for the next teams. All were unaware of how a certain silver haired girl was sick but still came to watch the friendly match of the raven haired boy, and how the boy visited her daily to bring soup and medicine without fail.
—————
“Do you think they’re together?”
“I bet not. They’re too alike, you know?”
“Opposites don’t always attract each other. And what? Just because they’re both bookworms, they’re not together?”
Yukiko was the head librarian in this particular library near Tokyo University. It was quiet here, as one would expect it to be, but the university students added a youthful, lively atmosphere.
To pass time, the other librarians and staff had been figuring out the couples from their regular visitors. Today, they set their eyes on two young people hunched over their books on a table meant for four.
The two looked up when another young man approached them and sat at their table, obviously friendly with them. The table banged softly as a thick notebook joined the clutter of art and history books.
Yukiko sighed. “I don’t think so. I always see them with other people sitting by their table.”
“Tsk! You just don’t see what my eyes see, boss. The guy gives her this puppy-dog eyes whenever she leaves the table.”
Yukiko shoo-ed everyone away while half glaring. Everyone knew she was touchy on her worsening eyesight. Sometimes she felt like she wasn’t aging ac gracefully as others her age.
But she was satisfied with her daily work. Like always, the day passed by slowly. Yukiko unhurriedly pushed a cart full of books by a large window that framed the garden. It gave her a good view of the two people her staff were interested. They must’ve been out to get fresh air.
The young man munched on a strawberry sandwich, while the young lady beside him peeled oranges.
The third person at their table earlier, a young man with grown out bowl cut and straight bangs, appeared and chatted animatedly with them while sucking on a popsicle. Unlike them sitting on a bench under a tree, he chose to stand instead, rocking back and forth on his heels.
Yukiko couldn’t hear anything because of the window and walls separating them, but she could read body language. The three were involved in playful banter.
The seated young man crossed his legs as he commented on something, before popping an orange to his mouth. The other two nodded their heads in agreement.
It was a mundane thing to watch: three 20-year olds living their youth right there and then. It reminded her of her own youth and how far she’d come, and how far these three could go.
She saw, as she wheeled the cart away, the girl hand over an orange piece to the guy beside her.
It wasn’t her business, but she firmly believed a boy and girl could be purely friends. And that the silver haired young woman and the young man with shaggy bangs would be a great example of that.
Life at the library was quiet and peaceful. However, life had this random moments when it wanted to shock her aging body.
One sunny day, a sudden commotion from outside the glass doors caught everyone’s attention in the lobby.
Yukiko was ringing up books that were to be borrowed, but she frowned at the direction of the noise. “What is going on there? Can someone check it out?”
A teenage girl stopped right outside the library doors. She was surrounded by a group of men, who based on Yukiko’s years of experience, were entirely up to no good.
The silver haired young lady was just handing her library card for the books, when it slipped from her fingers. She gasped. “Excuse me for a moment. I know her!” Then she ran out the doors.
Yukiko felt dread pool in her stomach. “Wait,” she glanced at the library card lying at the counter. “Hoshina-san!”
Yukiko followed after her and just opened the doors in time to see the harassed girl trip on the uneven pavement.
The guys around her attempted to catch her but she slapped their hands away and fell to the ground in a loud thud.
“You—!”
The silver haired lady stepped in between the young girl and the group of men. “Please keep your distance away from her.”
The men put up their hands and tried to placate Hoshina Subaru. “Hi, miss. We’re just trying to help.”
The younger girl scrambled up. “I told them I’m not interested because I have a boyfriend already and that my brother is coming to pick me up so they don’t need to keep me company.” Then she screamed at the guys from behind the lady, “Your help isn’t welcome, either!”
“You ungrateful brat, you think you’re above us, huh?”
More people stopped and watched the scene with concern. And the raised voices moved Yukiko to act. She motioned to the staff to intervene as she took out her phone to call the cops. Really, all this ruckus was bad for her health.
Subaru lifted an arm to further block the girl from the men. Her voice was dry and icy. “Perhaps you have gone deaf. She kept saying that she’d like you to go away. Is that so hard to understand?”
“Look, miss. We’re just talking to her. She’s the one who’s suddenly screaming at our faces.”
“If someone as kind as her is suddenly screaming, then the problem is not with her abnormal behavior,” her glare sharpened and the temperature plummeted down several degrees. “But with you.”
Yukiko’s heart almost dropped again when one of the men, bigger than the girls, stepped forward and towered over them. He was intimidating them and it looked like it worked when she saw wide, fearful eyes and stiff shoulders. To her credit, the taller lady stayed firm as an acting wall in front of the younger girl, whose hands were balled into fists.
The library staff tried to de-escalate the situation, but was pushed to the side by the offending group.
“Missy, you’re attracting attention to us here. We’re not bad guys, we’re just looking out for a girl who’s alone.”
“Unlike you, who haven’t understood that your advances have been turned down repeatedly, at least one person in the crowd have common sense to call the police,” Subaru lifted her chin, looking down at him despite being shorter. “What’s it going to be? Lose your pride and run or face consequences at the police station?”
“You’re not scaring us, if that’s what you’re going for,” another guy snarled as he moved in close to the younger girl.
And that’s when things went out of hand.
Yukiko was startled for the third time when someone burst through the entrance doors. He looked around frantically. Then he spotted her standing in the middle of the lobby. “Excuse me! Have you seen a short girl with black hair?”
She put a hand over her heart. “Ah, do you mean Natsusawa Mio-chan? She was just around here. I think she went to the bathroom with her friend.”
In that exact moment did Subaru and Mio appear.
“Onii-chan, you’re late!”
“Mio! What’s the ‘HELP’ message you sent earlier, with your location?”
After they explained with her help, since she was a person of authority in the place where everything happened, the young man turned to his sister. “Are you okay?”
“Yes! All thanks to Subaru-san, the ice queen! You should’ve seen how she debated them and shut their mouths!” Then the younger girl turned to the older one. “By the way, will you be okay? You twisted an arm and punched a face. I’m so sorry you did that for me. You won’t get into trouble, right? The police that took them away won’t come back for you?
She patted the younger girl’s head. “That hardly classified as a debate. And don’t worry. It’s entirely for self-defense. We have lots of witnesses who vouched for us earlier. And I remember going over similar cases with Yorita-kun for a research paper and he told me police work quicker through everything if stories align with each other. Besides, it’s obvious they have malicious intent.”
“It’s still so scary. What if they still don’t give up?”
“Then that’s the time we call in lawyers. I can help with that.”
“What a lucky life I live! To be backed by both future police officers and lawyers!”
“I’m just glad you’re both not hurt,” the young man sighed. He looked so much alike his sister, and Yukiko would comment on it to lighten up the tension, but maybe they needed time by themselves. Besides, why would an old woman like her stay when the three young adults are obviously handling it on their own?
She excused herself, going back to the counter to finish the task that was interrupted earlier.
Other librarians dropped by her station, chatting amongst themselves. “See? They’re not a couple. If they are, then the guy should be checking with his girlfriend.”
“If they’re not, then the guy is missing out.”
“I know right? Gosh, I can’t decide if I want to be her or be with her.”
Yukiko laughed along with her staff.
No one saw how Saku held the shaking hands of Subaru, nor hear him whisper how proud and how worried he was of her. Mio relaxed as soon as other people came to her rescue earlier, but only at that moment did she see the silver-haired girl droop her shoulders, because finally, she’s safe.
—————
“Aaah~ I want something sweet!”
Four girls sat around a table.
Subaru looked up. “Oh, I have cake,” she put a large box on the table. “Please have some.”
“Girl, are you lugging a whole cake around the campus?” They laughed but still opened the box.
She giggled, “Actually, Saku-kun gave it to me to share with everyone. His friend sometimes gives out cake samples of different flavor combinations and asks us for feedback.”
Feeling shy, only one slice of the vanilla yuzu cake was taken to be shared by her three friends.
One of them only took one forkful before saying goodbye as she rushed to meet her study partner outside. “Gotta go. But, girl, this is so delicious. Cheers to the partner of the baker. Lucky one. Bye!”
“I’ll make sure to let her know!”
“Huh. You know the girlfriend of the friend of Natsusawa-kun?”
“Yes, she’s my best friend and currently studying in another region. We’re all in the same circle of friends, actually, including all of Saku-kun’s squad from high school.”
Fuji was a nosy girl at heart, but having been raised with manners befitting of a man, they knew something was fishy with the newest member of their karate club. “Subaru-chan, you have a boyfriend, right? How come he doesn’t pick you up from here?”
The girl tilted her head to the side. “From here… the club room? There’s no need for that.”
Mei joined in. “Girl, don’t you think that’s normal and expected from a boyfriend? Are you on bad terms right now? Oh, and I don’t think I ever saw you even hold hands with another person. Are you just conservative?”
“I—I think you misunderstood! My boyfriend and I,” she trailed as blush creeped up her face. “We’re fine as we are! I know we don’t act very couple-y but that’s because he’s shy and I don’t want to make him do things he doesn’t want to do. And I’m not entirely comfortable with PDA, too. So that’s why!”
Fuji may be nosy, but not to the point to push someone past their comfort zone. So the matter was laid to rest.
Their free time quickly ended and followed by club practice. Subaru entered the karate club just this year, but she mentioned that she took self-defense classes for a year before, so she adapted well enough to the forms.
The sun had already set by the time practice ended and thankfully, it wasn’t snowing, so they could all easily go home.
A guy wearing a thick coat and scarf was waiting by the doors of their club building. He bobbed his head in greeting as he noticed them going out. It was Natsusawa Saku, who waited for their newest club member by the end of his classes every Tuesdays and Thursdays. Subaru introduced them to each other the first time he waited for her by the entrance.
Obviously, they were close to each other. The problem was that Subaru only introduced him by his name since they were in a rush that day. No relationship mentioned at all. The problem only continued when no one asked her about it. But as she grew close to club members, she mentioned in passing that she knew the guy since high school.
Subaru joined him and they cutely waddled on the slippery road. The guy kept one hand up by her back to support her in case she went out of balance, but he didn’t touch her, keeping a respectable distance away.
Mei caught Fuji’s gaze and wagged a finger. “Nope. Don’t play matchmaker. She has a boyfriend.”
Fuji sighed. They hadn’t even said anything yet.
One chilly Thursday morning during their morning classes, Mei sent a message to their group chat. I’m bored! Who’s online right now?
Me. - Fuji
Me. - Subaru
Cool. I have a Q. Subaru, where’s ur bf? - Mei
Weird question. - Fuji
I have another Q. Fuji, wat cup size r u gonna ask 4 when u finally do breast implants? - Mei
A-cup / F-up. No in-between. - Fuji
A-cup different from what u have rn? - Mei
I’m gonna crush you later in our spar. - Fuji
Osaka. - Subaru
Ah. Long distance, kk. - Mei
If our future lawyer gets into trouble coz of texting, we’re blaming Mei. - Fuji
K fine. Ttyl. - Mei
The next time they talked was during club practice. Not that they had lots of chances to talk, since their instructor really pushed them to keep moving.
“Oh, where’s Natsusawa-kun?” Mei asked when they finally got out of hell.
“He couldn’t go to school today due to personal reasons,” Subaru said as she double checked her shoelaces.
One of their club members piped in. “If you don’t need to go home yet, y’all wanna join us for dinner? It’s my birthday treat!”
And so they went as a group to a yakiniku restaurant. Subaru seated herself in the middle of those she was more familiar with and took care of passing napkins and utensils to everyone.
Some caught her grinning as she typed in her phone, so the seniors jokingly asked, “Ohhh! Someone’s busy texting! Care to share what’s it about?”
Subaru’s face flushed being put in the center of attention suddenly. “That was my boyfriend. We’re doing a bet.” Then her phone rang. “Oh, please excuse me. I have a call.”
When she got back, a plate of steaming grilled meat awaited in her spot. “Oh, thank you!”
“Is the call an emergency?” Fuji asked.
“No, no. It’s from my best friend in O.U. She said there’s a sudden snowstorm there, so she asked how’s the weather here.” She looked at her phone again and smiled. “Saku-kun just messaged and wished everyone a safe trip going home.”
Thankfully, there was no snowstorm in Tokyo so they all safely arrived home after the dinner.
Two weeks later was the much awaited Valentine’s Day and Fuji was excited to share the chocolate granola bars they made together with Mei to the male members of their club.
Subaru later came in bearing gifts, too. She opened the big bag she’s carrying and politely handed out boxes that were neatly wrapped with white ribbons and contained a single chocolate pastry. “It’s my first time trying the recipe out, but I hope it tastes good!”
“By the way, Tanaka-kun is still absent today,” Fuji told her. “His nasty flu’s still there so he’s missing out on all our chocolates.”
“I hope he gets a speedy recovery,” Subaru mumbled as she moved to put the last box back to the bag.
Mei peeked in. “There’s another box there.” Then her grin turned teasing. “Who’s it for?”
Subaru’s cheeks were aflame. “For—for Saku-kun, of course! I won’t forget him!”
Fuji peeked in as well. It was another box, hardly unique-looking from her other gifts. A wave of disappointment rolled over them. “Ah, no special packaging for your veryyyy close friend?”
“I—I think it’s the gift inside that matters!”
“Sure, sure.”
Despite having different majors from each other, they all had similar schedules. So they walked the same path until the fork towards different buildings.
Subaru suddenly perked up. “Wait, there’s Saku-kun! I’ll just hand this over to him quickly. I don’t think he has any free time today until his last class.”
Then the two watched her run excitedly to the guy who stopped walking at the sight of her. They saw her reach into her bag of gifts and hand him a box with white ribbon. He ducked his head as his friends snickered around him.
Fuji and Mei exchanged knowing glances. Poor guy. His crush was so obvious but the said crush just gave him friendship chocolates.
The two wasted no time interrogating her at their club room as soon as the door closed. “Subaru-chan, we know you’re devoted to your boyfriend. But with a long-distance relationship, it’s hard to keep up with efforts that make you feel loved, right?”
“Um, what?”
“Did he at least greet you today?”
She looked so confused. Poor thing. “My boyfriend? But we just talked? Oh, he was in a rush so we didn’t talk for more than two minutes.”
Fuji sighed in exasperation. Mei leaned forward, eyes blazing. “See?! Okay, I’ll sound insensitive for this, Subaru-chan, but please reconsider the people you love and who love you! Sometimes, you don’t need to look too far. The one who treasures you the most and will treat you the best is just near. Heck, he’s always beside you. And we just want to know, is there no chance of you considering him as more than a friend?”
They watched as the confusion slowly melted from her face. Then Subaru almost ripped the gift bag open as she looked inside, where one box with silver-gold ribbon sat in its lonesome.
Horror dawned on her face.
On the other side of campus, Saku secretly took a bite of Subaru’s gift in class. The chocolate muffin was obviously from a box cake mix and tasted like last-minute gifts. He covered his mouth with his hand and hid his shakes as he laughed silently. She just lost the bet, after all.
—————
“What’s got you on an extra gloomy mood?”
“It’s my girlfriend. She’s acting weirdly these past few weeks. And now I know why.”
Left eyebrow raised, Ryo motioned for him to go on. It was rare for his friend to talk about his girlfriend, although from the few times in the past few years of being classmates that he did talk, Ryo knew they were tight. Something bad must be going on.
“Well, for one, she’s suddenly always grabbing my arm. Then she initiates more kisses now. And she—she rests her head on my shoulder on the bus, which she never does unless she’s asleep and tired.”
Now, both eyebrows were raised. “And how is that a weird problem?”
“She’s worried that we’re not looking like… a couple to other people. But who cares what other people think?”
Ryo barked a laugh. His cousin, Eiji, popped up and asked what’s going on. After explaining, he told their troubled friend. “Dude, girls have a lot worries. Maybe she’s worried about other girls if you look single?”
“Why is that even a worry for her?” Saku crossed his arms.
Ryo shook his head. “Ok, we get it. She should have complete faith in you. Trust her the same way, then. You’ll figure this out.”
Eiji was just a freshman, but hung out with them whenever their schedules aligned. “What you should worry about is the white day gifts. Got anything on your minds yet? I can’t decide what I gotta get my girlfriend.”
Ryo answered, “My girl’s getting a purse she’s been eyeing for months.”
Saku added, “I planned a date to the museum.”
Eiji whistled. “Where?”
“The history museum, I heard that they added a new wing to the gallery of prehistoric animals.”
Both Ryo and his cousin stared at him until he got defensive. “What?!”
“Dude, does your girlfriend like history and animals as much as you do?”
“She’s interested in it, but not a super huge fan. She prefers the sculpture and painting gallery. Why?”
Ryo threw his hands up in frustration. “White day is for the ladies! Do something she likes!”
Saku scowled. “I know that! But this was the deal. I win the bet, we go where I want to go.”
Eiji shook his head. “Aren’t you supposed to still give the girl what she likes?”
At the same time, Ryo asked curiously. “Wait, what bet?”
Saku rolled his eyes. “She’s an okay cook and baker, but she couldn’t do anything without prepared ingredients. Always box cake mixes, store-bought dough, packed soup base. So I dared her to make me gourmet donuts from scratch for Valentine’s day. She gave me the wrong gift initially, but she came back with the donuts.”
Saku continued before anyone butted in. “I just know she’s gonna feel bad if I don’t follow the deal. But for your information, I got tickets to the newest art gallery in the city. It’s for another day. “
“Ha! Look at you being a mastermind, when all you want are two gifts and two dates!”
“Well, I believed she’d pull through. She always was a hard worker. It just so happened that she technically lost, but there’s no reason to not make it a win-win situation. So that’s what I did.”
“Ha, you lover boy! Who knew you could be sweet?” Ryo made kissy faces. “How come you’re not even an ounce sweet to your friends, huh?”
The pure disgust on Saku’s face had them cackling. Ryo tried to pull Saku in for a hug, his movements greatly exaggerated. In turn, Saku scrambled up from his seat to get away. “Damn!”
Eiji didn’t even bat an eye on their antics. “Ok! So I got another question! It’s for a different topic, but here it goes! What are you gonna get Hoshina-san? She gave you the muffins as friendly valentines gift, right?”
It was Eiji’s turn to be stared at.
“What do you mean different—OW!”
Saku kicked Ryo in the shin under the table, his face serious and calm as he answered, “I got her a gift, don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll like it.”
Ryo rubbed his aching leg, confused as to what the guy was talking about.
“Subaru’s not picky, so she’ll be fine even if I give her a piece of paper.”
“The hell? I get that you have a girlfriend, but at least give her a decent gift back!”
The sun peeked behind the clouds a bit, but it was enough to shine a light on Saku’s eyes. There was a rogue glint in the guy’s eyes. And it all clicked for Ryo.
Well, fine. Ryo looked at the goofy smile of Eiji. It’s his dense cousin’s fault he couldn’t piece together the pieces without being explicitly told.
At that moment, he saw Subaru walking towards their table in the busy canteen.
Her boyfriend saw her too and waved her over. Not even a smile. She even greeted him with a pat on the shoulder when she joined them.
Okay, maybe it’s not hard to believe that one could mistake them as just friends.
“Heh, Hoshina-san. You missed Natsusawa here gushing over her girlfriend.”
“Huh?”
Saku slapped his hand over Eiji’s mouth with a loud, reverberating sound. He glared at him. “You watch what you say! I didn’t do that. It came up in the conversation, but I don’t gush!”
Ryo mentally facepalmed. All surprise plans would go out the window if his idiot cousin mention anything in accident. “Sorry, Hoshina-san. It’s just friendly banter,” then Ryo had a sudden thought. It shouldn’t hurt to join the teasing. “Although Eiji wasn’t wrong. You can ignore the denial of our resident tsundere Natsusawa.”
Saku turned his glare to him, while keeping his hold over the big, fat mouth of Eiji. Ryo mocked him with a funny face while Subaru laughed, cheeks still bright, “True, he’s quite the tsundere, no?”
“Ah!” Eiji stood up like he was electrocuted. “It’s almost 1PM? Oh no, I gotta go. I’m meeting my girlfriend after her classes,” then he put his water bottle into his bag and zipped it close. “Maaan. Hopefully the traffic is light now so I can get there in time. Your partners are in different schools too, right?”
Ryo agreed and watched as Saku gave a small shake of head towards the silver haired girl at their table. He answered the question, “Yeah, she attends a different school.”
“What was that about?” Subaru asked when Eiji disappeared from the exit door.
It was Ryo who answered. “I get it. Faculty of Education,” he gestured towards himself and her boyfriend, then towards her. “And School of Law.”
“That guy doesn’t know that you and I are together,” Saku supplied.
Ryo didn’t see her face shift or anything, but Saku probably did, since he took one look at her and spoke in a gentler voice, “Maybe it’s because I don’t go around telling everyone about you and me. Instead of looking at it as a problem, let’s just have fun. Is that okay?”
There was a pause until she said, “Won’t he feel hurt that was left out?”
“Eh, it’s fine, Hoshina-san. You’re not lying about it and Natsusawa’s not hiding it. It’s just a silly experiment to see how long it takes an idiot realize something,” Ryo said. Saku’s too good of a guy to say this within his earshot, especially since Eiji’s related to the Ryo. But that meant it’s fine for him to trash talk his cousin a little.
“We can tell him on White Day. Just two weeks. Or if you don’t like this game, I’ll tell him later today,” Saku’s face was serious.
Ryo snorted. His friend quickly turned into mush in front of his girl.
Subaru smiled graciously. “It wouldn’t hurt to have fun as long as no one gets hurt.”
Ryo held a hand up and Saku obliged to a high-five.
The three of them unanimously stood from the table when the bell rang. Ryo walked with them just until they would separate at the exit of the canteen. He decided to do some shopping before going home and looked up the address of a bag store in his phone.
“Oh yeah,” he heard Saku call out. “Thanks a lot for pulling an all-nighter with me to prepare for my presentation.”
“You’re welcome. This is more than just an academic project, it’s also your passion project. Ot’s important to you, so it’s important to me, too.”
Ryo thought about it. Saku was an introvert, and he never said out loud that Subaru was his girlfriend. But even without that and all the PDA, people had to be blind to assume they were just close friends.
“By the way, Saku-kun, have you seen the video Kaoruko sent in our group chat? It was so funny how Yorita-kun fell for Usami-kun’s pranks.”
“Shohei’s mind overworks when it comes to pranks. Remember our first day in university when they waited for us by the school entrance?” Saku’s hair swished as he shook his head. “Can’t believe I fell for that. And almost murdered Shohei too. But Ayato’s not easily fooled, so it’s probably because Yuzuhara-san helped Shohei that the prank was successful.”
“That’s true! I can’t wait to hear the details. We’re all still meeting up at Tsumugi-kun’s bakery, right?”
“Yeah, that guy’s always busy. I’m betting Shohei would annoy him later about how he couldn’t find time to get out of work. Even his girlfriend has free time to hang out.”
“If that’s the case, we can also expect that Usami-kun will also tease us. We both have classes on this fine Saturday afternoon, while everyone else don’t.”
Ryo waved goodbye and watched them disappear into the crowd, with Saku reaching out for Subaru’s hand like it was the most natural thing on earth to do. In the three years they’ve been classmates, he had never seen his friend be touchy with anyone. Of course, that probably did not apply to his girlfriend, regardless if they appeared as a couple to others or not.
It turned out that Eiji really didn’t think of Saku and Subaru as anything aside from friends, because Subaru came to hang out with them almost every day and yet the dense guy did not suspect a thing.
That brought them to White Day.
Eiji was looking at the tickets that were supposed to be Saku’s White Day Gift. “You’re gonna introduce us to your girlfriend?”
“Yeah, she’s around, anyway. She wants to say hi.”
“Cool! So which school does she attend?”
Subaru soundlessly popped up from behind them. “From T-Uni’s School of Law.”
“Heh? Hoshina-san?!” The look on Eiji’s face sent them all laughing. The surprise was so worth it. Ryo was glad he took a video. He couldn’t wait to talk about this with all their cousins in their family gathering next week.
Saku guffawed so hard he clutched his stomach. “Did you seriously not even guess?”
“I mean, it crossed my mind, but I didn’t think too much on it!”
Another round of laughter.
“Since when were you together, anyway?”
Saku reached into his backpack and pulled out a bag of hard candies. He popped one into his mouth and passed another to Subaru. “The whole time you’ve known me.”
Subaru put the hard candy on her tongue, mirth dancing in her eyes. “We’ve been together since high school.”
—————
Cherry blossoms were in full bloom everywhere, and yet business was thriving as usual.
“One bouquet, please.”
“Any preferred flowers?” The clerk inquired.
“Do you have gladiolus, daffodil, and sunflower? Oh, and forget-me-not?”
The clerk marveled internally about how specific those choices were. “We do! Anything else?”
“Please use a silver-gold ribbon.”
The clerk jotted down the instructions and glanced up. The lady’s long hair glistened a beautiful silver under the sunlight that basked the store. The clerk smiled a little, they loved it when customers add personal touches. It gave them a challenge on how to meet those demands while producing work that they were proud of.
“I’ll work on it now, feel free to look around the shop while waiting!”
The store front was small, with shelves full of bouquets ready to be taken by anyone who was in a rush. As the clerk ducked behind the doors to the back of the door to get the requested flowers, they could still hear shuffling from the customer by the counter.
“Wah, these look so cute!”
“You should buy some, Kaoruko.”
“A full bouquet for myself is a little too much…”
“Then take one flower. The chrysanthemums over there absolutely fits you. And those last long if you care for them properly, so you can bring them back to Osaka in your university dorm.”
“Really?”
The clerk whistled, maybe they’d get another sale from these two friends that visited the shop today.
After a few minutes, the clerk emerged from the back with flowers in hand and asked the lady of her preferred color of wrapper and of their final approval on the look of the bouquet.
Finally done, the clerk inspected the bouquet one last time before nodding to themselves and bringing it out to the customer. The silver-haired lady and the purple-black-haired lady gasped in delight at the sight of it.
“It’s so pretty!”
“I saw your posts in social media, but the real life designs are better than photos,” the silver-haired lady had a big smile on her face as she took several pictures with her phone.
“That will be ¥15000, miss.”
The lady handed bills for the bouquet—and one chrysanthemum flower for her friend— and the clerk saw in their peripheral view how tenderly she looked at the bouquet.
The clerk handed her the change. “You chose the flowers well, miss! If you know what I mean,” the clerk added a little eyebrow squiggle.
The shorter lady bounced on her heels. “You bet she knows! She took ikebana classes before!”
The lady in question nodded, “I do know what the flowers meant. All thanks to that one elective class.”
The clerk leaned on the counter. “Glad to know more people are discovering the language of flowers! But the question is, does your lover know how to read the messages in this bouquet?”
They got a giggle in response. “I don’t think so, but I’ll explain it to him.”
“Subaru, you’re so diligent. If it were me, I’d be embarrassed to explain my gift, but I’ll still send Rintaro-kun a website that explains the flower language so he could figure it out.”
“Kaoruko, I’m also a little awkward to explain it in words! But he would never make me feel uncomfortable. I’m sure Tsumugi-kun would be the same for you.”
In their mind, the clerk gave themselves a pat in the back for guessing right on the bouquet being for a lover.
“Oh, Subaru! You forgot to write a note!”
The clerk pointed with a finger, “There’s a small paper tucked between the flowers. It should be enough for your message. By the way, what’s the occasion?”
The silver-haired lady’s smile was as bright as the sun, eyes as soft as flower petals. “It’s his graduation day today! And our anniversary.”
From that alone, the clerk just knew that her boyfriend was as deeply in love with her as she was with him.