Fikush-ON!

Ch. 35: November's Riff

It was a Monday afternoon, and the first days of November. Those are always kinda melancholic. The trees change their color into hues of yellow and orange, and start dropping their leaves bit by bit. It gets so cold that you don't really feel like hanging out outside anymore. The sky gets gray and gloomy, and even when the sun shines, it doesn't feel that warm. Those seniors who plan on going to colleges retire from their clubs and devote themselves to studying. It feels like everything dies. Not just the nature, but the town itself. It gets eerily quiet and gray. But, like many other things, it's subjective if it's a good or bad thing. Some people may find it depressing, while others find it peaceful, some even outright inspirational. To me, it's just a natural phase that happens every year. But if I really had to choose a side, I'd go with the gang that finds it peaceful. That's the thought I occupied my mind with when I was walking home from school.

Looking around the route I always walk to and from the school, I was overcome by this weird sense of nostalgia. Ah, indeed, it's been a bit over three years since I first met Ui. Bit under two months more, and it's been three years since I first stepped in her house. Three years, damn. It sounds so long, but at the same time it also feels so short with the amount of things that's happened to me during those years. Hm, makes me wonder what that 15-year-old me would've thought if he'd known that the girl he bumped into on his way home from the bookstore would end up being his girlfriend... Bookstore, huh. Indeed, the only reason I even met Ui was because of that one encounter. I wouldn't have met her if the bookstore wouldn't have been out of stock for the book I was looking to buy. Oh, and I also wouldn't have met her if I didn't decide to drink that soda before heading home. Shit, if I had headed home only a minute too early, none of it would've happened. Ugh, better not overanalyze it too much. What happened, happened. End of the story.

Getting home, I kicked my shoes off in the foyer, and headed upstairs. I was going to my room to get changed, when I happened to notice my sister exiting her own room. Well, of course she'd already be at home, since I spent a good hour at the club room after the classes ended. Giving her only a quick look, I continued on, but stopped when I realized she had frozen in place. Turning to look at her once again, I noticed her staring at me, looking unsure.

"...What?" I asked her.

She didn't answer right away, instead glancing around a bit. "You, uh..."

I raised an eyebrow. "I what?"

She seemed... uncomfortable, I guess. Or nervous. Perhaps even both. What's this about? What did I do?

"You... You and, um, Ui-chan..." she muttered, having a hard time coming up with words. "...are dating?"

...Oh. So that's what's going on. Of course, nervousness and embarrassment were the first things to kick in, until I realized that this was probably more of a shock to Tamiko than it was to me. Not sure why, but the thought managed to calm me down, and I actually found some amusement in it. I felt like grinning like an idiot, but managed to resist the urge.

"Yeah," I nodded. "What of it?"

My calm reaction seemed to take Tamiko by surprise. She looked like she actually had something to say, but after a second of pondering, she shook her head.

"Oh, no, nothing. I just... well, heard about it today," she said, rubbing the back of her hand.

Walking past me, she headed to the stairs, walking downstairs. Looking at the stairway for a couple of seconds, I continued on to my own room, finally breaking into a grin.

Yeah, last week Ui said that she'd be open about our relationship to her friends, and looks like she actually did it. Well, suits me just fine. The sooner people find out about it, the better, I guess. Though, those people also include our parents... My dad already knows that I went on a date the other day, but he doesn't know who I went out with. Though, I'm sure he's already figured it out, since he knows about Ui being my longtime friend. But it makes me think about Mr. Hirasawa. My grin was gone as I was grinding my teeth out of nervousness. Yeah, maybe I'm not so sure about this after all. Ugh, better play something aggressive on Patricia to let out some steam. Maybe something metal. So, the moment I got to my room, I dropped my bag on the floor, and immediately grabbed Patricia, plugging it into the amplifier. Turning the volume as high as I could, but not so high that someone would barge in to tell me to shut the fuck up, I began shredding away. I didn't even know what I was playing, and I'm sure it didn't sound very good, but whatever. It definitely did the trick.