That Eternal August I Spent With You ↬ Act Ⅰ ║Mina Ashido X Reader║

August 4th / Part 1

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11:21 A.M. / Saturday, August 4th
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"Where would you like to go next, [F/N]?" asked Tenya Iida, one of my friends from U.A.

I scratched my neck and looked around. "Hmm... There's a pretty nice cafe nearby if you wanna stop there,"

Iida gave two big thumbs up. "That's a great idea! Let's go immediately,"

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before, but I didn't have many friends at my school. I had a few acquaintances, but not many people I could call my friends. But, Tenya Iida was probably one of, if not, my best friend at the time. He was always full of energy and cared for his classmates deeply, so it was pretty easy to become friends with him.

At the time, we were hanging out around the town, window shopping and talking about things happening in our lives. Not much happened in my life, so it was mostly just me listening to Iida talk about things happening in his. His family owned a car engine manufacturing company, so he always had little and interesting stories about things that happened over there.

...

We arrived at the local cafe and sat down. The waitress walked over and took our orders before walking back into the kitchen.

Iida smiled and glanced around the cafe. "This is such a nice place! It doesn't seem very busy, however. It must not be very well-known..." he said. "What do you think, [F/N]?"

I didn't respond. I was spaced out, staring at the table and tapping it with my finger. There was something on my mind that was bothering me. The girl that I met, Mina, wouldn't leave my head. I didn't know why, but the thought of her lingered ever since the talk I had with her two days ago.

Iida reached his hand over and tapped me on the shoulder, making me jump. "Is something on your mind? I'm willing to talk if you need to," he said.

I shook my head and smiled. "Thanks, but there's nothing wrong. I'm just a bit tired,"

"Is that so?" said Iida. "It seemed like you were in deep thought over something,"

Iida was smart, so I wasn't surprised that he was able to see right through me. I was trying to shrug it off like it was nothing, but he could see that there was something deeper. So, I just decided to give in.

"Well..." I muttered while tapping my finger on the table anxiously. "There is something on my mind..." Iida stared at me with slight anticipation. "B-but, it isn't about me!" I blurted out. "It's... about one of my friends,"

"I see," replied Iida, his hand on his chin. "Well, if you don't mind me asking, what's the problem?"

By lying, I dug myself into a deeper hole than I already was. But, I didn't want Iida to worry too much about me, so I thought it would be better this way.

I scratched the back of my head nervously. "Where do I begin..." I muttered. "Well, my friend met this random person by chance. This person is always full of energy and positive. But, this person is also suffering from a deadly disease that they have no control over. Even though they know they're going to die, they still try to make the most out of every little thing they do. My friend was dragged in by their optimism and is planned to hang out with them soon. But, they don't want to get attached to someone they know isn't going to be around much longer. But, they also don't want to let the person down by not showing up. So... they're in a tough situation that they don't know the answer to. They've asked me what they should do, but I can't come up with anything," I looked at Iida straight in the eyes with a distressed look. "What should I do?"

Slowly, Iida closed his eyes and started thinking. If I was going to ask anyone about this, Iida would be my best bet. His smart and rational thinking has saved him multiple times in the past, so if I wanted a good answer that actually helped me, it would come from him.

Eventually, he opened his eyes back up and smiled. "Your friend is in quite the predicament, huh?" he said.

I nodded.

"Well, if it were me..." muttered Iida. "I'd spend as much time with them as possible. If your friend ignores them, it'll only bring the person more hardships than they already have to deal with. Given their situation... I think all they want... Is a friend," he said.

What Iida had said was 100% correct. It was also the one thing I needed to hear. For the past two days, I had the chance to contact her but hadn't yet. I was scared. Scared of what would happen. Since she told me about her condition, it had been all I could think about. 

What's the point of getting attached if she's just going to die eventually?

Why care about her problems? I only just met her anyway.

Why should I care?

Those questions, that were filling my head, suddenly disappeared. My head cleared up, making me realize what I had to do.

I sighed with relief and smiled. "Thanks, Iida. I'll make sure to tell them that,"

"I'm glad I could help!" he exclaimed. "But, on another note, where is our coffee? It's been almost three whole minutes!"

"It'll be here eventually," I said with a chuckle.

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5:49 P.M. / Saturday, August 4th
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After doing some more things around town, Iida and I parted ways. The talk we had in the cafe was definitely the highlight for me. It made me realize what I had been doing wrong and what I need to do from here on out. I needed to become Mina's friend even if it required going out of my comfort zone.

As I was walking back in the direction of my house. I passed by a large garden placed next to the sidewalk. I didn't know what kind of flowers they were at the time, but the colors were beautiful and vibrant. Pinks, blues, and whites all placed in this garden, creating a beautiful scene. Staring at the garden, I noticed someone kneeling down next to it, picking out some flowers. Instantly, I recognized who it was. The main thing giving it away was the curly pink hair.

"Mina?"

-End of August 4th / Part 1-