Respite

Trip 1

"Then I'll be in your care." Were the last words Manami said to me before leaving with her mother.

I didn't have a lot of time to process the situation before having to return to my shift. On my way home, however, I found myself unable to stop smiling and I let out a few cries of victory.

Now, waking up the next morning, the weight of my bold promise is crushing my chest. Toro could speak for days about the times I've made big claims only to realize my limitations. Unlike the other times, however, this is a promise I can't break.

After double checking my shirt while dressing, I head down for breakfast.

The house is quiet which means my mom is still asleep. I don't like waking her up since her job keeps her late sometimes. On mornings like this I toss a bunch of fruits into my bag and call it lunch.

After giving myself a pep talk in the hall mirror, I headed out for the station.

Toro gave me a quick scan as I arrived. "Something good happen yesterday?"

"Woah, how could you tell?" I asked in astonishment about his deductive skills.

"You're walking with your head up and a big smile on your face."

Which is to say I may have overexaggerated his ability, but I won't admit that to him. "Well, you're right. Something great happened yesterday."

Toro pulls out a granola bar, scans the barcode of it into some health app he uses, and begins munching on it. I commend his discipline as I've never counted calories or done anything of the sort.

"So, what happened?"

"Hmph, you'll have to see for yourself. And when you do, I want you to shower me in praise, for I have-"

"Excuse me." A short girl no taller than 160 cm, with a bob haircut and thick eyebrows interrupts me.

Her name is Hana, Catalina's friend. Of the three girls Catalina hangs out with Hana is the one I pinned as the number one suspect in the rekindling of rumors case.

"You went home with Catalina yesterday, right?" She continues as I move behind Toro.

"I did."

"Do me a favor, stay away from her."

"Huh?!" Apart from feeling insulted that she asked, it's difficult to believe she's doing this out of goodwill. "Why should I?"

"You've heard the rumors about her. I don't need new ones spreading about her dating some delinquent."

"You tiny-"

"Hiroto said you're happy this morning, right?" Hana interrupts. "I'm guessing something happened between you two."

"Myo wouldn't do something like that unless he's dating them. Catalina wouldn't either." Toro intervenes. Which is surprising coming from the gentle giant who still has a few bites left on his granola bar.

But Toro shows his reliability at the most surprising times.

"Hmph. Just stay away from her."

"Me? You're the one who..."

"I'm the one who what?" She glares at me, confirming my suspicion. It wouldn't do for me to anger Hana anymore, so I turn away and ignore her.

After the train arrives, Toro and I find some seats far away from Hana.

Toro leans in and whispers, "Myo, did something happen between you and Catalina yesterday."

Since Toro knew me best, he also understood my weaknesses. "Toro." I placed my hand on his shoulder. "If Catalina asked, I wouldn't think it over once. But we both know she isn't like that. We just happened to head home at the same time yesterday."