Origami Girl

Chapter 17: Wisteria Ambivalence

Origami Girl

Chapter 17: Wisteria Ambivalence

"If like the leaf of the wisteria through which the sun darts his rays transparently you give your heart to me, I will no longer distrust you"

― Murasaki Shikibu, The Tale of Genji

 

"Did I really have to come?" Yukino-kun moaned, running his fingers through his hair as he walked beside me.

"Of course!" I told him, rather tired of listening to him whine. "Everyone else is going. What am I going to say if they ask me why'd I didn't bring you along?"

"Why do you care if they asked you that?" the boy said, raising his voice.

I stopped in my tracks and glared at him. Yukino-kun stared at me back, but the short moment where he jerked back slightly was enough to tell me that he was in fact rather taken aback.

"Can you please behave, Yukino-kun?" I said, getting rather irritated. "We are in public, and you're going to be eighteen soon."

He just kept quiet, shoving his hands in his pockets. The autumn breeze blew in from the sea, bringing in the pale scent of the afternoon. Wiping the sweat off my brow with one palm, I took out my phone from my half-open schoolbag with the other. It was a quarter past four, and we were half an hour late. Kashiwagi-san told me the week before that the match would begin at three forty-five, but look where we were, still trying to find our way to the venue. It was kind of my fault, I spent too much time in the bathroom at school trying to re-do my makeup.

I walked briskly, hoping that we'd able to get there before the second game ended. It was the semi-finals, so it was quite an important game for Kashiwagi-san. I wonder how he was faring in his match.

I stole a glance at Yukino-kun beside me. With the sleeves of his blazer and shirt folded up to his elbows and his tie nearly coming undone, he looked rather unruly. I caught sight of him pursing his lips as we walked. We didn't say a thing to each other, but I was pretty sure from his expression he was rather ticked off. I had no idea whether it was a show to appear more intimidating, or whether he was truly dissed off. If he was the former, I could understand why, actually.

Originally, I planned to go to the venue with Sayaka-chan, but having taken so long with my makeup, Sayaka-chan had left without me. I was sure I would be late, and my heart dreaded the awkward feeling of being a latecomer and going to the spectator's stand alone, while everybody else stared at me. It was such an embarrassment to be caught in such a situation, so I turned to Yukino-kun.

Yukino-kun had been waiting for me by the school gate, thinking that we were to go home together, as per usual. He didn't know about the match. Even if he did, he probably assumed I wasn't going. He was leaning against the stone fence, when he caught sight of me.

"So, do you want to take the tram or the bus?" he said. "I sent my bicycle for repairs."

"I was thinking of going out," I told him. "It would be nice if you could follow me."

On the tram, he asked me where I was going, but I didn't really give him any definite answers. It was mostly along the lines of me not really sure where to go.