Golden Era (Book 2)

6. Future

Eiji was folding laundry in the living room when the front door swung open. In walked Fuji with a backpack slung over his shoulders and hair matted to his forehead. He watched the stack of newly washed clothes before Eiji, whose eyes were glued to his cellphone.

"Ah, Fuji! Welcome home!" chirped Eiji, his eyes never leaving the screen. "You're back early! I thought you'd be staying for one more day."

"I had nothing to do in Tokyo."

"It's that boring, huh?"

"Something like that," murmured Fuji. Ayuri's visit cemented his decision. No longer able to stay in the city of memories, he hastily bid his confused family goodbye the next day.

Receiving no word from Eiji, he turned to find his friend releasing several dejected sighs as he picked up loose socks. After rolling up each pair, his eyes would flick over to the cellphone before starting up another round of sighing. 

"You know, Eiji," Fuji sat down and started unloading his knapsack, "just because you stare hard at the phone doesn't mean you can make it ring."

"I'm not trying to make it ring."

"This includes texts."

Eiji sighed again. "You're probably right."

"And if you keep sighing like that, you're going to turn into an old man."

"Gee, thanks!"

"I'm kidding." Hesitantly, he asked, "Waiting for Ayuri's call?"

"Call, text... Anything, really," confessed Eiji, plopping down in the spot next to Fuji. "She canceled our hike yesterday and promised she'd reschedule. But I still haven't heard anything!"

Fuji frowned. "Yesterday, you said?"

Eiji nodded. "Around noon yesterday."

Fuji sat back, an abrupt chill gripping him. Should he believe it coincidental for Ayuri to appear at Seigaku later on that same day? He couldn't help but ponder whether she canceled on Eiji for that visit. Then again, she did mention being in Tokyo for "business"—an excuse vague enough to be either truth or lie.

"I think it's her way of blowing me off," declared Eiji morosely. "If that's the case, I don't get why she can't be straightforward about it."

"I don't think she's the type to mislead," said Fuji. "If you want to know for sure, maybe you should call her."

There was reluctance in Eiji's eyes. "I don't know... She also doesn't seem like the type who enjoys random calls."

"It's not random. Haven't you two gone out several times already?"

"Yes, but I don't really know where we're at..."

"All the more reason to find out."

Eiji balked. "This isn't any ordinary girl—this is Kamiya Ayuri we're talking about!"

Fuji considered these words. He understood their connotations: as scholarship students, they were beneath the others. This status difference was especially pronounced with Ayuri, who was the next in prestige after Yozei Sachi. He couldn't blame Eiji for feeling inferior or intimidated: he, too, felt these invisible barriers.

"But she was the one who approached you." Grabbing the phone and holding it out to Eiji, he said, "You have the right to ask and define your relationship."

Eiji pushed his hand aside with a shake of the head. "You know, I think she likes you, Fuji. Not me."

To this, Fuji gave a grim laugh. "I highly doubt it."