Friday, May 6th
With Golden Week over, it was back to school for me. It was a little difficult to wake up this morning, getting used to waking up late thanks to the brake.
On my way to school, I heard the high squeaking sounds behind me, causing me to look over my shoulder. I saw that it was Hanamura, pushing his bike with an annoyed expression on his face. I stopped walking and turned around, my eyes glancing around the bike. It looked as if it was recently fixed, the paint a little brighter than last time I saw it.
"Good morning, Hanamura" I greeted as Hanamura slowly got closer to me. Hearing his name, Hanamura looked up in response; his annoyed expression disappearing as a smile formed on his face.
"Yo!" Hanamura greeted as he stopped pushing his bike in front of me. He scowled as it made a final squeak, before becoming silent.
"Dammit, I just fixed this thing... It's making squeaking sounds again" Hanamura grumbled, clearly upset about his bike. He quickly shook his head and looked at me, a guilty look on his face.
"Hey, by the way... I'm sorry about the other day..." Hanamura began as he rubbed the back of his head, his eyes drifting away to the side. "You know, about what I said to Nanako-chan."
"Don't worry about it. None of you guys, myself included, knew about Nanako's mother's death. Accidents like that happen, so don't beat yourself over it" I reassured.
"Heh, you really know how to make a guy feel better" Hanmura chuckled, a look of relief falling on his face. "Anyway, after hanging out with Nanako-chan... I feel even stronger that we have to solve this case." I nodded in agreement, placing my hand on his shoulder.
"I'm counting on you" I said with a nod. Hanamura grind as a soft blush covered his cheeks.
"Hehe... Same to you!" Hanamura replied. I slid my hand off Hanamura's shoulder, and the two of us began to walk towards the school.
"Oh, hey" Hanamura began, ignoring the squeaking sounds his bike was making, "Y'know, Nise and Yukiko seem different lately... They seem a lot closer."
"I would be shocked if they weren't..." I replied bluntly. "I mean, after what happened back in that other world..."
"True..." Hanamura agreed softly. The two of us continued to walk in silence, the sound of constant squeaking accompanying us. After a bit, Hanamura growled and hanged his head low, catching my attention.
"Uugh... Man, school's such a chore. And now my bike's messed up too..." Hanamura whined.
"Well, the roads are much wider here than in the city" I commented as I looked forward, taking note of how wide the road was. With very little people and transportation occupying the streets, it certainly appears a lot wider than the roads back over in Tokyo.
"Huh, yeah that's true..." Hanamura hummed, thinking about something. "Well, I do keep speeding... So I guess that did it." Hanamura exhaled a long and heavy sigh, scratching the left side of his head.
"Oh well. Until I get my motorcycle license, I'll just have to walk" Hanamura muttered. I looked at him in surprise at the information.
"Motorcycle? Are you planning on getting one?" I asked, a little stunned. Hanamura looked at me and smiled brightly.
"Yeah! Back in the city, I actually wanted to buy one for a while!" Hanamura confessed. "But when my family moved here, I decided to stick with this old thing." Hanamura lightly kicked the front tire of his bike, showing me how much he disliked it and its squeaking.
"What made you think about getting a motorcycle again?" I asked, my curiosity getting the best of me. Hanamura looked back over to me and smiled sheepishly, a small chuckle escaping.
"Well, to be honest, when my dad gave me a job at Junes; I kinda thought, 'hey, maybe now I can get that bike!' And since no one knew me here for a while, I thought about using it to pick up chicks but..." Hanamura began. His voice trailed off as he sighed. "Well, you know... I quickly became infamous, so that plan went down the drain." I stared at Hanamura with a wry expression. He certainly likes trying to impress women, doesn't he?
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After school...
Classes went by as usual, with nothing much really happening. Thankfully for me, that meant I didn't have to take too many notes for Hanamura.
Once school was over, everyone gathered around Nise and my desk; Hanamura and Amagi standing in front of us.
"Ugh..." Nise groaned, holding his head up with his right hand; his elbow resting on his desk. "Why do the holidays have to end so fast...?"
"At least they were peaceful," Hanamura remarked. "I listened in on the housewives gossiping at Junes, but it doesn't seem like anything happened..." I sighed softly as I leaned back in my chair a little.
"That's good to hear," I commented softly. The others nodded in agreement, just as glad as I was about the town's safety.
"You know, I haven't heard anything about someone disappearing suddenly, either..." Nise began, looking over at Amagi with a questioning look. "Y'think Yukiko could've been the last of the victims?" The group went silent for a bit as we all looked down, avoiding eye contact. The dreadful kidnappings and murder cases... For them to end like this, I don't think it's over. If the culprit is in fact related to the Mayumi Yamano affair, then there are plenty of people that will be thrown into the television. From what I gathered, Miss Yamano was a rather big news reporter for a local television station, meaning that she must have interviewed with a lot of people. Why would those people be targeted from the culprit? That's one mystery I still have to figure out.
With a small sigh of disappointment, I muttered loud enough for the group to hear "Sadly, I doubt this is over..." Nise hummed in sadness, his eyes closing as if he were about to take a nap.
"I have to agree with Narukami-chan. There's just too much we don't know," Amagi began, catching our attention. "We shouldn't relax as long as the culprit remains at large."
"I wonder..." Hanamura began as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Will someone show up on TV again if it rains? If we only knew a little more about who the killer might be..." There was another pause of silence as Hanamura's voice trailed off.
"Eh, it's no good fretting it over now!" Nise said with a wave of his left hand, seeming as if he wasn't too worried. "If someone does show up on the Midnight Channel, then we'll deal with it. It's supposed to start raining soon, but I hope this weather holds through next week...You know... Midterms." Hanamura and Nise instantly groaned in unison at the word, a sulking aura surrounding them.
"Ugh, you had to go bring that up..." Hanamura grimaced. "I don't wanna think about it." Nise sighed, slowly nodding in agreement.
"I wish I had Yukiko's gift for studying..." Nise sighed, as he face planted onto his desk. I blinked in realization, remembering all the notes I had copied for Hanamura. I picked up my bag that had sat next to me and opened it up, quickly pulling out an orange notebook. I offered it to Hanamura, causing him to blink in surprise at my action.
"Here Hanamura, I copied my notes in here for you" I explained. Hanamura's face brightened as he grabbed the notebook from my hand.
"Whoa, seriously?! Thanks!" Hanamura exclaimed. I nodded, telling him that it wasn't a big deal.
"Of course. After all those times I had to save you in class, I thought it was necessary to take those notes for you. Being half awake and half asleep, people tend not to fully listen to who's speaking" I explained. Hanamura smiled brightly as tears fell down his face, hugging the notebook to his chest.
"You're so kind, Narukami-chan! You're really saving my ass!" Hanamura sobbed happily. Amagi smiled at Nise, who had been staring at Hanamura with a strange look, and patted Nise's head.
"You can borrow my notes if you want, Nise" Amagi offered, her smile and suggestion almost sounding natural. Nise blinked at Amagi's voice and looked at her. After a very short pause, Nise nodded thanks as he smiled.
"Yeah, thanks, Yukiko. That'd be great! I'll borrow 'em once you're done studying" Nise replied with a bright smile. Amagi nodded with a smile at the subtle instructs Nise gave. Nise stood up as he grabbed his bag, a triumphant look on his face.
"Now that I have Yukiko's amazing notes, I'm going to go and eat over at Aiya's place!" Nise announced.
"Huh? You're not going to go study?" Hanamura asked, sounding confused and perhaps even a bit annoyed. Nise shrugged as he began to walk backwards out the classroom.
"I only have a few more days of freedom, you know? I might as well do what I want before studying!" Nise explained with a smile. He gave a thumbs up with a big grin before turning around and leaving the classroom.
"What are you going to do, Amagi-san?" I asked as I looked over to Amagi, catching her attention. She smiled sheepishly as she grabbed her bag.
"I think I'm going to spend some time in the library and study. I want to cover the material I'm bad at and make some extra notes before I give Nise my notebook"Amagi explained. I nodded, understanding her reasons.
"Wow, that's Yukiko for ya. Studying whenever she's free" Hanamura whistled in admiration. Amagi's face reddened slightly as she nodded goodbye to us and quickly leaving the classroom. I grabbed my bag as I stood up with a soft sigh, wondering what I should do today. I could always go straight home and study for midterms. But at the same time, I wanted to have a day off like Nise. I debated back and forth between the two options, uncertain of what to do.
"Hey, Narukami-chan!" I suddenly heard Hanamura began, catching my attention. I looked at him and blinked.
"Want to go to Okina City with me?" he asked with a smile. I turned my body to him, showing that I was intrigued by his sudden offer.
"Okina City? Do you mean the city not to far from here?" I asked, wanting to make sure I had my information right. Hanamura nodded, a small chuckle escaping. I tilted my head to the side slightly, curiosity building in me.
"Why do you want to go to Okina City?" I asked. Hanamura opened up his orange book bag and carefully placed my notebook that I had given to him inside, his eyes still locked with mine.
"Well, there's this movie out that I've actually been really wanting to see. I got my pay a few days ago and decided to go and check it out" Hanamura explained. I nodded in understanding, still a bit confused as to why he was inviting me.
"Just like Nise said, we only have a few days of certain freedom. Knowing you, you might have just decided to go home and study like Yukiko. But with all the things you've been through saving everybody, you deserve a well earned break! So, why not go together?" Hanamura finished, a bright smile plastered on his face. He certainly did have a point. I've been injured so many times because of how reckless I can be, risking myself for the team. Watching a movie with Hanamura doesn't sound half bad, and knowing him; it could be a comedy.
"Alright, sure. I'll go with you" I replied with a nod. Hanamura's face brightened so much, more than I have ever seen, and began to run over to the door.
"Well then what are we waiting for?! We only have twenty minutes before the train comes! If we miss this one, we'll have to wait an hour!" Hanamura laughed, a strange and blinding glow surrounding him. The corners of my mouth twitched as I began to jog after him, hearing his rapid calls for me to hurry up echo in the classroom from the hallway.
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Hanamura and I quickly ran over to the train station, being able to reach it in time. Just before we got on the train, Hanamura sent a quick text to a friend for them to pick up his bike and bring it home. As he did so, I stared at the train station in shock. The last time I went to Okina city was with Ebihara. And both times, the train station never looked this crowded since it was before school started and during lunch. Since it was after school, there were so many students and business men forcing themselves on. It almost reminded me of the train stations over in the city. I suddenly became a bit nervous, tugging my skirt down a little.
"Alright, come on let's go!" I heard Hanamura cheer, pushing me forward from behind towards the train. Once I began to walk, Hanamura happily jogged over to the train- entering it with no problems at all. Hesitantly, I jogged forward towards the train was much more crowded than I had expected, only allowing me enough room to stand in front of the doors that I entered. My heart began to pound as the train beginning to move forward. I couldn't look over my shoulder to see if Hanamura was right behind me or if it was someone else. Unconsciously, my legs tightened as the fabric from my pantyhose touched. I haven't become a victim of molestation before in the city, and most certainly don't want to become one here. I just hope that Hanamura is standing behind me.
I gasped softly as the train shook a little, causing the person behind me to become slightly closer to me. I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself down. Everything was going to be okay. Everything will be okay. Nothing will happen to me, nothing will happen to me. The train suddenly shook again, a lot stronger this time, causing my body to almost slam into the doors in front of me. I shivered slightly as I heard the sound of something slamming to the doors. My eyes squeezed even more tightly than before, begging in my mind that it wasn't a molester. I suddenly felt a hand on my right shoulder, causing my eyes to flash open. The hand quickly let go of my shoulder and slammed onto the doors as the train shook once more.
"Sorry, hope I didn't scare ya" I heard a familiar voice whispered. I looked over my shoulder and saw Hanamura holding himself away from me with the doors, our faces uncomfortably close. Hanamura's face turned red as he stood up straight.
"S-Sorry" Hanamura apologized softly. My pounding heart instantly calmed down, now knowing that Hanamura was standing behind me. I let out a soft sigh of relief and looked forward.
"It's okay. Knowing that you're behind me and not a stranger calms me down" I whispered. The rest of the train ride was silent between us after that, not wanting to be disrespectful to the other passengers.
Once we arrived to Okina City after school, the city bursted with lively chatter from students who got out of school and businessmen talking on the phones. We were now standing in front of Okina Station after going down the escalators.
"Mmmm... It's been a while since I breathed this kinda air!" Hanamura sighed with relief, stretching his arms up into the air. "Y'know, I'm just a poor little city boy drawn to that urban scent. Wait a minute...Am I starting to sound like Berry?" I shook my head to reassure him.
"Berry's cute..." I commented. Hanamura furrowed his brow at my words, crossing his arms.
"Cute...? I dunno about that, but I guess she's the type you can't ignore. Hey, wait! Are you saying that I'm not cute—" Hanamura began, when his iPhone suddenly went off. Hanamura pulled out his iPhone from his pocket with surprised eyes.
"Oh, a text message" Hanamura muttered. He pushed a few buttons on the screen and began to read, when he suddenly made a face.
"More spam... Looks like someone got my address. Man, I get so much spam, it's annoying..." Hanamura grumbled, pushing a few more buttons before putting his iPhone into his pockets.
"Why not change addresses?" I asked politely, not wanting to sound like I was telling him to.
"Hmm, well..." Hanamura began, his face looking troubled as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I haven't changed addresses since before we moved to Inaba. I mean, I might get a text from someone. It's hard to call, y'know. If I called people just to tell them my number changed, they'd get annoyed. And some of them never planned to text me anyway..." I fumed as I stared at him, small curiosity forming in me as I began to wonder what Hanamura's life in the city was like.
"Oh, but hey, don't look at me like I don't have any friends!" Hanamura suddenly began, his face looking somewhat flustered. "'Cause, I did before I met you. Though, to tell you the truth, I don't remember what we all used to talk about." A nostalgic look fell on Hanamura's face as he looked down at his shoes.
"I guess you can't really call 'em friends...Inaba suits me just fine. Plus...I got something I need to do there" Hanamura muttered, his eyes slowly looking over at me, our eyes locking. I blinked in confusion, tilting my head slightly. After a moment, Hanamura raised his head and laughed.
"I'm counting on ya, partner!" Hanamura said with a big smile, patting my head. I stared at him for a bit as he began to laugh again. Hanamura has truly been through a lot... I could sense his enthusiasm.
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Evening...
"Welcome back!"
I stood in silence at the surprising appearance of Dojima, who was present this time around instead of Nanako. Dojima was sitting at the kitchen table, with a newspaper at hand as he stared at me with a welcoming smile.
"Ah... You're home early" I replied awkwardly, still recovering from the surprise. Dojima chuckled at my reaction and opened up his newspaper, instantly turning a page. As Dojima read the newspaper, I peeked over to the stairway where Nanako's room was at.
"I had Nanako go to bed early today. She told me that she wasn't feeling well when I got home, so I gave her some medicine and tucked her in" Dojima explained, causing me to stiffen at his voice. Calming down my heart, I placed my bag down on the ground leaning onto the stairway.
"Say, how're things for you, Hitomi?" I heard Dojima ask, causing me to turn to him. He was still reading his newspaper, but I could tell that he had intentions of stopping soon by the way he held the paper. "You should be used to life here by now...C'mon, talk to me."
"Ah... Okay" I replied, shyly. Dojima smiled a little at my response and folded up his newspaper, placing it onto the table.
"Well, have a seat" Dojima suggested as he gestured at the empty seat across from him. I nodded in reply and obediently sat on the chair he had gestured to me.
"We haven't had time to talk like this since you got here, huh?" Dojima began. I shook my head in reply.
"No, not really" I agreed, staring at Dojima who was rather relaxed. Dojima stayed silent after that. He seemed as if he was struggling to think of a topic to discuss.
"Uhhh... Well, how's school?" Dojima asked, a smile nervously forming.
"Interesting. The teachers there are all rather unique" I began. "Although, they tend to pick on me due to the fact that I'm from the city. In it's own way however, it's rather fun." Dojima's smile slowly began to relax into a more natural smile as he rested his right arm on the table.
"I see" Dojima said with an amused tone. "That's good to hear. Your school days will be over before you know it. Make sure you have fun while you can." Dojima began to nod to himself, as if recalling his high school days. It was interesting to watch him nod so calmly.
"What else...?" Dojima mused, looking up to the ceiling in thought. "Oh, yeah... How about your friends? I heard a lot from Nanako about them. It looks like you've made plenty of 'em."
"Yes, I actually have..." I replied with a nod. Dojima's face suddenly turned sour as he scowled. I tensed up by this reaction, the blood from my face slowly draining.
"I, um... Is that bad?" I asked, being nervous. Dojima stared at me for a moment before he sighed softly and shook his head.
"No, of course not. I'm not saying who you can and can't hang out with, but..." Dojima began. His expression suddenly turned serious as his eyes started to stare at me, nearly piercing my own eyes. "You know what I'm talking about, right?" I blinked nervously in confusion and slowly shook my head.
"I... Don't believe I do..." I replied hesitantly. Dojima's piercing eyes suddenly became a little irritated as Dojima readjusted in his seat.
"Are you being straight with me?" Dojima asked. I stared nervously at him as he continued to stare directly at me. I was clueless as to what Dojima was talking about.
"You're gonna have to be a little specific..." I suggested shyly, as I slowly began to slide down my chair, hoping to disappear. Dojima sighed with a tired look, his eyes closed as he waved his hand at me, telling me to stop trying to hide. I stopped obediently and slowly sat back up straight.
"For some reason, whenever there's an incident, there you are..." Dojima began to explain, causing me to blink in surprise. "I wish I didn't have to consider this, but... the killings began around the time you came to town." Dojima looked back over at me as his hand rested back onto the table.
"My job is all about eliminating the random element," Dojima explained. "I look only at the facts. If you keep getting caught up in my job, then..." Dojima's voice began to trail, making him sound threatening. I gulped silently as I continued to stare back at his piercing eyes.
"What's wrong?" a drowsy voice asked, catching Dojima and my attention. It was Nanako, who was dressed in her pink matching pajamas. She looked tired, but also a little angry at Dojima.
"Big Sis didn't do anything bad..." Nanako muttered as she frowned at Dojima. She must have heard our conversation.
"I-I know. I didn't mean it like that" Dojima stammered.
"But you're bullying her..." Nanako grumbled as she looked at me with concern. I felt my heart throb at Nanako's concerned eyes, her image appearing in my mind.
"I'm not bullying her," Dojima explained. "We were just having a little talk. It's getting late... Go back to sleep." Nanako, being too tired and unwell to continue, obediently nodded
"Okay..." Nanako yawned as she wobbled back to her room. Once she was gone with the soft sound of a door closing, Dojima sighed and looked back at me.
"Sheesh... She's really taking a shine to you" Dojima said with a small tone of jealousy. I blinked nervously at him and averted my eyes over to the spot where Nanako was once standing.
"I... I guess..." I replied softly, not wanting to anger Dojima. There was a long pause of uncomfortable silence, the sound of the clock ticking.
"Look, Hitomi..." Dojima began, causing me to glance back at him. He looked a lot calmer now, and even a bit guilty. "I just don't want you to get yourself involved in anything dangerous." I blinked in surprise at Dojima's caring words, giving him my full attention.
"You don't seem like the type of girl who would, so it's most likely that you have bad luck but..." Dojima continued. "As long as you're safe, everything's fine. Your parents didn't ask me to raise your grades or anything." I nodded in response, feeling a little disappointed to hear that, but... Dojima seemed genuinely worried about me. These were the sort of talks that I never had with my parents after the incidents... It was actually rather refreshing to have these sorts of conversations again, and I could feel a bound beginning to form between him and I.
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Saturday, May 7th
"Hosoi? Have you picked up the latest edition of 'Bullied Teacher' yet?" one of the female student asked Hosoi at the beginning of class. Hosoi nodded in reply, a smile forming on his face.
"Of course I did. But it's raining today. I hope I can get it home without getting it all wet..." Hosoi replied. He thought for a moment before smiling nervously at the class.
"So, uh, does anyone have an extra book cover they'd be kind enough to lend me?" Hosoi asked. A few students replied, saying that they had one but he wasn't able to use it. Soon, the classroom began to buzz with chatter, just like it always does before the bell rang.
"Whoops, I have to start the lecture!" Hosoi gasped, quickly focusing his attention back on the lesson. "Ahem. Today, we're going to discuss 'Kokoro' by Soseki Natsume. Open your textbooks. Before we get to the actual literature, I'll ask a question about Soseki himself. Hmm, how about Narukami-chan, the city girl." I blinked in surprise at the mention of my name, standing up on instinct.
"Do you know how Soseki Natsume translated the English phrase 'I love you' into Japanese?" Hosoi asked, looking expectantly at me. I gasped softly as my face flared up in embarrassment. I looked down at me feet and shuffled a bit, trying to recall the translation. I was actually rather embarrassed about saying it out loud.
Feeling the eyes of my classmates, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and answered, "'T-The moon is beautiful, i-isn't it?'" I heard Hosoi chuckle a bit, causing me to sit back down in my chair.
"It seems that you're not only very knowledgeable, but get rather flustered easily as well" Hosoi said in a teasing manner. My face continued to glow red as I grabbed a pencil and nervously wrote down some notes.
"Yep, he translated it as, 'The moon is beautiful, isn't it?'" Hosoi began, continuing the lecture. "By the way, the person who translated it as 'I could die' was Shimei Futabatei, another prominent Meiji-era writer. Though he translated it from Russian, not English... It's still similar in that they didn't do direct translations. Back then, in Japan there wasn't the same direct expression of love that we have now, so they had to get creative. It's a subtle, endearing translation, much like the Japanese language itself. Anyway, let's get back into 'Kokoro.'" I let out a soft sigh as my face finally began to cool down and opened my textbook. Nise poked my arm and smirked at me. We leaned in to each other a little so he could whisper something.
"Not used to the word, 'love', huh?" Nise teased. My face flared red again as I quickly straightened up, flipping the pages rapidly. I heard Nise chuckle at my reaction, causing my face to burn even more red.
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After school...
By the time classes were over, it was still raining outside. I was talking to Amagi and Nise when the sound of thunder rumbling caught our attention. I looked over at the window and realized how dark it had became. There were leaves swirling around, as if dancing quickly to the fast beat of the wind.
"Hey Nise, I bought you a new copy of that 'Trial of the Dragon' flick" Hanamura said as he made his way over to us, catching my attention. "It was a Greatest Punches version for 980 yen. If I knew then, I'd have just replaced it instead of buying you grilled steak." Suddenly, lightning flashed, causing the classroom to became a little more brighter as the sound of thunder grew nearer.
"That's clearly getting closer...!" I heard Nise grumble. I turned around in my seat to see that he was fidgeted in his seat, sweat forming on his face. I blinked in surprise at Nise's actions, slowly starting to worry about his well being.
"Huh...? What are you, scared of a little lightning?" Hanamura asked, his tone sounding playful. Nise blushed in embarrassment as he scowled.
"Quiet, you! I'd be a goner if even one of those things hit me!" Nise snarled in a threatening manner, his eyes starting to become glossy with tears. Lightning flashed again and a loud clap of thunder practically shook the room after the flash, causing Nise to scream a little. Nise covered his ears and screwed his eyes shut. I noticed that his body beginning to tremble from fear.
"Hahaha, you're freakin' out way too much man!" I heard Hanamura laugh, as if he found Nise's fear amusing. "C'mon, shouldn't weather like this help with your kung-fu training? A bolt of lightning would hit and it'd give you the inspiration for a new move! There was a scene like that in your DVD, wasn't there?" Nise stood up and glared at Hanamura, grabbing his collar. I gasp softly in surprise at Nise's sudden actions, being pushed a little from Nise's legs, only to hit Hanamura's legs. I blinked nervously at the strange position I had found myself in.
"You jerk! A bolt of lightning would kill a man, you hear me!? KILL!" Nise shouted. He let go of Hanamura's collar and pointed at him, giving me some room to adjust my seating.
"If lightning has to strike someone, let it be this guy!" Nise declared, as if he was a commander of a war leader on the battlefield, telling his subordinates to attack the enemy. Suddenly, everything went white as a bright flash of lightning practically blinded everyone temporarily. Then was quickly accompanied by an extremely loud crack of thunder that managed to shake the room. The lights went out, causing everyone in the room to gasp.
"Huh?" I heard Amagi gasp. "Is this a blackout?" I blinked rapidly to try and adjust my eyesight to the darkness.
"It appears so..." I answered, managing to make out Amagi's facial outline. Soon, rays of light formed throughout the room as people took out their iPhones, using the flashlight app. Hanamura did the same thing and flashed the light to Nise's face, causing Nise to cover his eyes with his arm.
"That's what you get for saying that stuff, Nise..." Hanamura sighed in a slightly angry way. But Hanamura's anger quickly disappeared as a smile formed on his face.
"Looks like I better hurry up and head to work. Depending on how produce sells today, I might get a little bonus in my pay for the week. This weather may keep customers away, but I gotta do my best if I'm gonna save up for a motorcycle!" Hanamura cheered as he picked up his orange book bag. Suddenly, his iPhone began to ring, turning off the flashlight app.
"Huh? It's from my dad..." Hanamura said out loud. Hanamura answered with a simple, "Hello?" Despite being relevantly near me, I couldn't hear what the other person on the line was saying. Whoever and whatever they were talking about caused Hanamura's eyes to widen in shock.
"Wait, what?!" Hanamura exclaimed, looking baffled from what I could tell. "But my pay..." There was a pause before Hanamura hung up on the call, the flashlight app turning back on. Slowly, Hanamura turned his head to Nise. Nise, who had sat back down again, started to fidget in his seat again as Hanamura continued to glare.
"What're you looking at me for?!" Nise asked, his voice a lot louder from before.
"Ugh, why did this have to happen?!" Hanamura whined, his head dropping low in shock. I couldn't help but blink in worry and curiosity.
"Hey, Yukiko... Can we just go home?" Nise asked Amagi in a pleading manner. I turned my attention over to the two as Amagi smiled happily at something.
"Nise, do you know this story?" Amagi asked as her smile widened. "A girl forgot her homework, so she snuck into school in the middle of the night, but she suddenly needed to use the bathroom... She ventured into the girl's' room, where all the lights were off. No one should have been there, but in the mirror..." Nise yelped in fear as he stood up, interrupting Amagi's story.
"H-H-H-Hold it r-right there!" Nise shouted, his hands trembling as he slammed his hands onto his desk, leaning towards Amagi's face with tears in his eyes. "W-What're you talking about?!" Amagi blinked in surprise at Nise's behavior, leaning back a little.
"Huh? It's a ghost story. I thought you liked them" Amagi replied, confused by Nise's reaction.
"Yeah, but why tell me now?!" Nise growled weakly. At this point, his body was trembling uncontrollably, and looked as if the tears he has been able to hold in was on the verge of falling. I stood up and gently grabbed Nise's sleeve, causing him to turn his attention to me.
"It's alright Nise-kun... Everything will be alright, okay?" I said softly, trying to calm him down. Nise's face blushed a little as he nodded a thank you, a grateful smile on his face.
"Thanks... I'm glad you're here..." Nise sighed, his trembling starting to disappear. Suddenly, a loud thunder and another lightening flashed, causing the room to erupt in gasps and screams.
"AUUUUUUUUUUUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Nise screamed as he hugged me tightly, nearly causing us to fall backwards.
"N-Nise-kun! Y-You're squishing me...!" I choked out, struggling to stand with Nise latched onto me. It took a moment before Nise heard me, a soft gasp escaping him as he realized the position we were in. He let go of me rather quickly, causing me to stumble backwards, tripping over my chair. Thankfully, Hanamura caught me before I fell, carefully pushing me back to my feet.
"S-S-S-S-S-Sorry!" Nise stuttered violently. I shook my head, rubbing my arms that started to ache a bit.
"It's... It's fine" I panted, calming down my heart that has been racing like crazy. I heard Hanamura sigh behind me, catching my attention.
"Sheesh, is there anything you're not afraid of?" Hanamura asked in a slightly playful, yet annoyed tone. Nise's face flushed red as he scowled at Hanamura.
"A-Are you making fun of me?!" Nise growled, his face burning even more red.
"Well, yeah... With how freaked out you are, can you blame me?" Hanamura huffed. At that moment, the lights went back on, earning an eager gasp from Nise.
"The power's back!" Nise exclaimed happily. He quickly latched onto Amagi's arm, slightly jogging in place.
"C'mon, Yukiko, let's go home!" Nise insisted, tugging rapidly at Amagi's red sleeve. Feeling the urgency in Nise's tone and body language, Amagi nodded and grabbed her bag. The duo quickly left the classroom, along with those students who had froze at the sudden power outage. Hanamura and I decided it was best to just head straight home because of the storm.
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Evening...
It stopped raining by the time I had arrived home. Just like usual, Dojima wasn't home yet, so it was just Nanako and I. I sighed softly as I slipped off my shoes, putting my wet transparent umbrella on the wall. With a shake of my head, letting my damp hair sway, the wet strands sticking to my face; I put my bag next to the stairway and made my way over to Nanako.
"It stopped raining, but the thunder was loud!" Nanako began, as I took a seat across from Nanako. "Were you scared, Big Sis?" I blinked at her with a blank look, rewinding the power outage in my head.
"Well, it certainly surprised me. Nise-kun however was very scared because the power at my school went out for a bit" I explained with a small shake of a head.
"Really?" Nanako asked, her eyes widening. I nodded in reassurement, brushing my hair with my fingers.
"Poor Nise-kun" Nanako mumbled, a sympathetic look now on her face. I nodded in agreement.
"How about you, Nanako? Were you scared?" I asked. Nanako blushed a little and nodded, seeming a bit embarrassed by admitting that. It was very cute. A small pause of silence entered the house as I began to mess with my hair a bit rougher. It was way too damp for me to just dry off and call a day. With a small sigh, I stood up from my seat and looked over to Nanako, who was watching me.
"I need to take a bath before I get sick" I said, letting the strands of my hair fall out from between my fingers and slap my forehead like a magnet. Nanako nodded in comprehension, standing up as well.
"Well then, I'll get dinner ready" she said and began to walk towards the kitchen. I frowned slightly in guilt, wanting to make dinner tonight. With a sigh of defeat, I quickly gathered my pajamas and took my bath.
Once I had finished my bath, Nanako and I ate the store bought food while watching the news just like any other night. However, for some reason, Nanako wasn't eating her food as much and has been staring at me. She seems nervous about something, based on the way she keeps fidgeting.
"What is it, Nanako? Do you want to talk?" I asked, once a commercial came on. Nanako blinked in surprise at my question and looked down with a small smile. She looks relieved.
"Ummm...Well...Are you an only child?" Nanako asked hesitantly. I stopped eating at the question, blinking in surprise.
"Hm, well..." I began, debating what to say. "...You can say that." Nanako's face light up at my reply.
"So you're just like me!" Nanako laughed. She seemed so happy to know that I was an only child. But it was a lie. I didn't like to lie, especially to a child like Nanako, but it was the truth as of right now. My little sister... She is no longer here.
"Oh, but I have you now, so..." Nanako gasped, realizing something. I nodded, finding Nanako to be like a little sister. Like my old little sister... Before she left...
"You know, a while ago Daddy told me that our family won't get any bigger..." Nanako began. "But now I have a big sister!" Nanako beamed a smiled that covered her entire face. I felt the ends of my lips twitch as I nodded. Through that smile, I can feel our relationship grow deeper.
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Sunday, May 8th
It was early in the morning, the bright sun shining in my room through the curtains. The sound of my pencil scratching onto paper echoed in the quiet room as I studied for the midterm. Suddenly, my iPhone began to ring. Surprised, I stood up from my seat and walked over to my dresser where I placed my phone and looked at the caller ID. It was Nise.
"Good Morning, Nise-kun" I answered, picking up the call.
"Hey, mornin'! Did I woke you?" Nise asked. I shook my head, despite the fact that Nise couldn't see me.
"No, you didn't. I was just doing some early morning studying for midterms" I explained. Nise groaned at the word 'midterms'.
"You are so hard core, Narukami-chan. Just one day and I'm wiped! Actually, that's why I'm callin'. I was wondering if you would mind hanging out with me for a while! I need to get my mind off of studying for a bit..." Nise explained. I sighed softly raising an eyebrow.
"You should be a bit more responsible with your studying time, Nise-kun" I scolded gently.
"Yeah, yeah, I know... But are we going to hang out or nah?" he asked with a small sigh. It sounded like he really wanted to hang out with me. After a moment, I nodded.
"Alright, we'll hang out. Just tell me where to meet you" I said. Nise cheered with joy.
"You're the best! Meet me over at Samegawa River around 1 in the afternoon, okay? I'd meet with ya now, but I have to do a quick errand." Nise instructed. I replied with a simple "okay", said goodbye and ended the call. Samegawa River, huh? I guess that means that we'll be doing some training again today. Where did I put those sweats?
Once I was dressed and ready to go, I headed downstairs I noticed that Nanako was sitting at the kitchen table, lost in thought. I blinked in surprise and walked over to her.
"Good Morning, Nanako. Is something wrong?" I asked, catching her attention. Nanako looked at me and nodded good morning before looking back over at the table.
"Um, well..." Nanako began, as she fidgeted in her chair. "I made flowers at school yesterday. They said today is 'Mother's Day.' My teacher told us that's a day when you give your mom flowers. I don't have a mom...so I don't know what to do with these flowers..." I fumed in comprehension now understanding the situation. I had forgotten that today was Mother's Day myself. I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my sweats and tilted my head a bit.
"You can still give them to her, Nanako" I said, causing Nanako's head to raise sharply and look at me with wide eyes.
"Huh?" Nanako exclaimed. After a moment, Nanako's sad and upset face began top shift into one of surprise and happiness. "Oh, you mean the family altar! Dad always puts food there. He said it gets to Mom in heaven. Do you think my flowers will get to her too?" I nodded, feeling the corners of my mouth twitch.
"Of course!" I encouraged. Nanako laughed happily, practically jumping out of her seat.
"I did a really good job on mine!" Nanako laughed, running towards her room. Quickly, she returned with several red origami flowers that looked we crafted. Nanako giggled happily as she showed them to me.
"My teacher said they were pretty too!" Nanako giggled as she looked back at her flowers with big, happy eyes. "I wonder if my mom will be happy to get them..." I sighed softly and patted her head with my right hand.
"She should be. Because you made them" I remarked. Nanako smiled brightly, a small blush creeping to her face.
"You should make a flower too, Big Sis! Then we can celebrate Mother's Day together!" Nanako giggled.
"Alright, that sounds like fun. But first, let's eat" I replied with a nod. Nanako's smile widened, her eyes sparkling.
"You're going to cook, Big Sis?!" Nanako asked happily. I nodded in reply. Nanako laughed happily and ran back to her bedroom. I sighed at how cute she was acting, and decided to cook some fish and rice for breakfast.
As I began to cook the fish, Nanako returned from her room with two stacks of red and green origami paper. Placing them on the table, Nanako rushed to my side and helped me cook in any way she could. Once the meal was finished, Nanako quickly ate her food and began to explain how to make the origami flowers. Thankfully, I was able to eat quickly as well and made the origami flowers with her. After a moment, I held up my finished flower, causing Nanako to smile as she held up the one she made as well.
"We did it!" Nanako giggled. "Let's go put it on the family altar!" I nodded as the two of us got up and walked over to the Altar. There was no picture of Nanako's mother, but it was still a lovely altar with flowers on each side. Because Nanako was to young to deal with fire, I had to light up the thin candles while she rang the small bell. Nanako clapped her hands twice and smiled happily as spoke out loud, introducing her mother to me as well as how she and Dojima were doing. After a moment of silence, Nanako and I placed the origami flowers down on the altar.
"Mommy would have loved you, Big Sis" Nanako began suddenly as we continue to stare at the alter, even after we placed the origami flowers down. "I remember how much fun Mommy had when she cooked with her friends for Daddy and me. She would have loved to make food with you."
"Is that right?" I hummed, staring at Nanako as she stared at the altar. The image of my little sister flashed into my mind, the same sad but happy look on her face just like Nanako's. Unconsciously, I grabbed Nanako and pulled her in for a hug, resting my chin on top of her head.
"How about I do your hair for you, Mimi?" I suggested. Nanako blinked in surprise, looking up at me with sparkling eyes.
"Really?" she asked. I nodded in reply. Nanako smiled brightly as she got up from my lap and ran to the bathroom to grab a brush. Nanako quickly rushed back and gave me the brush, sitting down in front of me. I untied her small ponytails and began to brush her hair. Her hair is rather soft and easy to comb.
"What are you going to do, Big Sis?" Nanako asked.
"Well... how about I tie it into a high ponytail?" I suggested. Nanako giggled happily, approving of my option. Once I finished her hair, Nanako thanked my multiple times when someone knocked on the door.
It turned out that Nanako's friend, Shinjiro Asame, had plans with Nanako and came to pick her up. Nanako put on her shoes and the two left, happily discuss about Nanako's new look. I decided to do some more studying before I left to meet with Nise.
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Afternoon...
I arrived a bit early to do some stretches at around 12:55. Nise arrived right on time at 1 pm sharp. We greeted each other with simple hello's as well as thanks for being able to hang out today.
"Allllright!" Nise exclaimed, clearly getting excited. "Today's the day!" I crossed my arms beneath my chest and raised an eyebrow.
"Let's try not to lose any shoes today, shall we?" I said playfully, the tone of my voice not showing it though. Nise laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.
"Sounds like a plan!" Nise laughed nervously.
"So what are we going to do today?" I asked. Nise opened his mouth to reply, when someone called out to us. We blinked in surprised and turned to see Nanako running towards me.
"Oh, hello Nanako" I greeted as she nearly tackled me into a hug. I patted her head gently, not wanting to mess up the ponytail I made for her.
"Hi there, Nanako-chan!" Nise cheered as he smiled at Nanako. Nanako let go of me as she greeted Nise.
"What are you doing?" she asked, curiously.
"Hm? Training, of course!" Nise laughed, as if her question was a foolish one.
"Training..." Nanako repeated, intrigued. "Who are you fighting with, Nise-kun?"
"Hmmm..." Nise tilted his head to the side. "Myself...I guess....? Ahahah, just kidding!" I could tell that he was lying, but I decided to say nothing. Nevertheless, Nanako seemed to be impressed by Nise.
"Wow, cool!" Nanako exclaimed. Nise blushed furiously, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Y-You think so...?" Nise stuttered as he began to laugh nervously.
"Oh, a grasshopper!" Nanako suddenly pointed out, diverting her gaze to the ground next to Nise. Nise's eyes widened as he looked around frantically.
"Huh?! N-No way! Wh-Where?!" Nise stuttered, his once red face turning pale. I noticed something green land on him as he turned around, look for the grasshopper.
"It just landed on your back," Nanako replied as she looked at Nise's back. Nise suddenly screamed, and began to run around frantically, struggling to remove his jacket.
"Get it off!" Nise yelled. "Get it off me!" I panicked a little as I ran after him. Once I was close enough to him, I took a big leap and tackled him to the ground, the two of us groaning at the impact. I sat up, spotting the grasshopper and removed it from Nise's back. Thankfully, I didn't hurt the grasshopper.
"Ow... You're so strong, Narukami-chan..." Nise groaned. I got off of him and wiped my legs with my free hand.
"Sorry, but you wouldn't stay still" I said as Nise sat up, rubbing his lower back. Nanako caught up to us and grabbed my wrist that had the grasshopper in it. She took the grasshopper from my hand and rushed over to some bushes far from Nise and I to place the grasshopper there.
"You don't like grasshoppers?" Nanako asked when she returned. Nise shook his head sheepishly, his face turning red.
"I'm no good with anything with thin, jointed legs! Or anything creepy and squirmy!" Nise explained with a shuddered voice. He suddenly shivered, placing his hands on each side of his head. "Ack, now I can't get 'em outta my mind! I can't stand those things!"
"But they're cute" Nanako replied, catching Nise's attention.
"You're like Yukiko..." Nise muttered as sweat began to form on his face. Nise sighed as he stood up, looking at me with an embarrassed look.
"Yukiko's fine around bugs, unlike me... I just totally lose it... Kinda funny, huh?" Nise laughed sadly, probably feeling ashamed. I shrugged, showing him that I didn't really care about it.
"Everyone has small fears like that, right? Don't feel embarrassed about it" I reassured him. Nise laughed nervously, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, what are you afraid of? You always have the same look on your face, so it's hard to tell sometimes if you ever get scared" Nise asked. I hummed in thought, wondering what of my many fears was most equivalent to bugs.
After a moment, I said "Well, first off, I am scared of many things. For example, I'm actually rather scared of bike handles." Nise rose an eyebrow in confusion, blinking rapidly in surprise.
"Bike handles?" Nise repeated. "I've heard of people being scared of bikes before, but the handles? Why're you scared of that?" I rubbed the back of my neck and averted my eyes from his.
"It's a story for another day" I mumbled. It brought back such painful memories... I didn't want to remember them and tell them to Nise right now.
"You know, Nise-kun, a lot of kids in my class don't like bugs," Nanako reassured Nise, catching our attention. "It's not just you. Don't worry!"
"Nanako-chan..." Nise sighed, a gratitude look on his face as he smiled at Nanako. "Ooh, you don't know how happy that makes me. Thanks! C'mon, you wanna train too?"
"Okay!" Nanako nodded her head. I stiffened slightly at the offer, debating whether or not this was acceptable. In the end, I thought it was alright.
"Just don't lose any shoes and don't play too rough..." I sighed. Nise and Nanako nodded, cheering with a happy "Okay~!".
Nise and Nanako began training, while I watched over the two. After a while, I sent Nanako back home before it got dark. Thankfully, nobody lost any shoes. It was rather late, the mid-afternoon sun sitting gently on the river as Nise and I sat next to each other on a nearby bench.
"I'm gonna get over my fear of bugs," Nise suddenly declared as he turned to face me. "I don't wanna look like a sissy next to Nanako-chan! All I have to do is think of them as Shadows! Then I'll be able to grab a whole fistful!" I nodded, encouraging Nise as he grabbed a fistful of air to prove his point. A moment of silence passed when he suddenly shuddered.
"I-I just gave myself goose bumps..." Nise squealed softly. I snorted softly, finding Nise's behavior rather cute and amusing.
"...Getting used to bugs might take a while, but I won't lose to Shadows!" Nise declared as he looked forward again. I nodded, smacking him gently on the back.
"Now that's the spirit" I encouraged. Nise was definitely doing better than before... I can practically feel his burning passion.
"Okay!" Nise said suddenly as he jumped p from the bench, holding up his fists. "I'm so pumped up!"
"I'm glad you're doing well" I said as I remained in my seat.
"It's all thanks to you... and Yukiko!" Nise remarked as he turned to face me, showing me a smile as bright as the sun. "Well, it's getting late...so we should get going, too." I nodded, standing up from the bench.
"Make sure to do some studying before you go to sleep, Nise-kun" I reminded, causing Nise to groan.
"So hardcore about studying... I'm just glad Yukiko let me borrow her notes" Nise groaned with a small scoff.
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Monday, May 9th
It was raining the next day and I was on my way to school, when I overheard students talking about midterms. I inwardly sighed at the thought of working all week long. Most students, including myself, dislike the whole idea of tests. And big tests like midterms are completely exhausting. And with the thought of having our scores posted for everyone to see is a bit stressful. With one short sigh, I mentally shrugged off the thoughts. There's not much I can do now, so complaining is out of the question. With a small nod, I began to jog towards the school, wanting to get to class earlier than usual.
3rd POV
The following week was hell for both Hitomi and her friends. Midterms lasted from Monday to Thursday. The following days were a blur for Hitomi as the first thing she did each day after coming home from school was study a bit and then sleep instantly afterwards. Nise and Yosuke had the most trouble throughout the week, barely understanding anything that was on the tests. In fact, Yosuke didn't understand anything to the point where he skipped the last day of the midterms. When midterms were finally over on Thursday, everyone was relieved.
"Finally done. Quite the load off" Hitomi muttered to herself as Nise and Yukiko reviewed the answers. At that moment, Yosuke entered the room with a big smile on his face.
"Whewwww! It's finally over! Free at last~!" Yosuke cheered happily, catching Hitomi's attention as she began to pack her bag.
"Where have you been?" Hitomi asked as he sat down at the empty desk next to her.
"Well, I was pretty sure it wasn't going to matter whether I showed up or not. Either way, I was going to get the same grade" Yosuke explained with a relaxed smile. Hitomi's eyebrows furrowed slightly, a bit ashamed that her note didn't help him.
"Hey, quiet down!" Nise snapped at Yosuke, causing him to jump a bit in surprise. Nise turned his attention back to Yukiko. "So, what did you write for number seven? The one about what 'that' referred to in that sentence."
"Um... I put 'her sorrowful expression,'" Yukiko replied. Nise's eyes widened as he groaned at Yukiko's words.
"Oh crap, then I got it wrong! I put, 'the rice cakes on top of the table.'" Nise whined as he ruffled through his hair. Yukiko blinked in surprise, become confused.
"Rice cakes...?" Yukiko repeated. "Wait, was that what the story was about...?"
"Alright, I'm giving up on composition" Nise sighed in defeat, looking over to Hitomi and Yosuke. "I'm gonna bet it all on geography! Ah, say Narukami-chan; what did you choose for the tallest mountain in the solar system?"
"Olympus Mons" Hitomi replied bluntly, not looking up at Nise as she placed the final item in her bag.
"Oh, seriously?!" Nise's eyes widened, sweat dripping from his face. "I chose the wrong one..." Yukiko turned around and smiled at Hitomi as she looked up while placing her bag on top of her desk.
"Oh, I put that one too," Yukiko remarked.
"Whoa, you too?!" Yosuke exclaimed, surprised. "Then it's probably the right answer..." Yosuke and Nise sighed, knowing full well that they were going to have horrible scores.
"Boy, I can't wait for our grades to be posted out in the hall where everyone can see 'em. Geez..." Yosuke grumbled as he brushed his hair with his fingers.
"I think I'm going to go home and do some studying. There was this one question on the test I had a little trouble on" Hitomi announced as she stood up. Yosuke and Nise exclaimed at her announcement, the two looking at her like she was about to kill them.
"Are you crazy?!" the duo asked, leaning in close to Hitomi which caused her to blink in surprise and lean back a little.
"You just finished testing for midterms! Take a break!" Nise ordered. Hitomi blinked a few times in confusion.
"But I..." Hitomi began, when Yosuke suddenly wrapped an arm gently around her neck and pulled her close to him. Surprised, Hitomi blinked rapidly as she placed both her hands on Yosuke's arm.
"No 'buts', Narukami-chan! You're going to take a break, whether you like it or not!" Yosuke declared. Nise's left eyebrow twitched a little as he stared at Yosuke's arm. Nise felt a little jealous and angry at the positioning between the fawn haired boy and the silver haired girl.
"Hey, did you hear? A TV station's filming here in town." a nearby male student said to his friend, catching the group's attention. The male student friend shrugged, showing no interest as he played on his iPhone.
"They're probably just doing more stuff about that hanging corpse case" the male student's friend guessed, not really caring. The male student shook his head, pushing his friend a little to grab his full attention.
"No, it's not that. You know the highway nearby? They're gonna cover those biker gangs that hang around there. A friend of mine goes to the biker meetings sometimes. I heard it from him" the male student explained. The male student's friend raised an eyebrow, surprised that his friend knew someone from a biker gang.
"Dude, what're you doing hanging out with a guy in a biker gang?" the male student's friend asked. Hitomi stared at them, recalling the gossip she heard a few days ago, before Golden Week had began.
"What's this about biker gangs?" Yukiko asked, perplexed as she turned to face the others. Nise looked over to Yukiko, looking a bit surprised when he suddenly recalled something.
"Oh... They raise a ruckus from time to time. I guess your place is too far away to hear 'em." Nise explained, rubbing the side of his head. Yosuke sighed in slight annoyance as he rested his chin on Hitomi's head, causing her to sigh in slight exhaustion.
"We live right by the road. The noise can drive you insane" Yosuke groaned. Nise nodded in agreement, stuffing his hands into his green jacket.
"I hear some guys at this school are part of it, too," Nise said. Yosuke rested his other arm on top of Hitomi's shoulder, holding his head up with his hand. Hitomi was slowly becoming annoyed by Yosuke's action. But she was too tired from testing to say anything and sighed softly in defeat. Noticing this, Nise frowned in annoyance and removed Yosuke from Hitomi. Yosuke didn't notice as he was too focused thinking about something. Hitomi on the other hand was grateful and nodded thanks to Nise who returned it with a smile.
"Yeah, I know there are some rumors about a first-year student here who's a total hellriser. One of the guys working at Junes said the dude's been a legend ever since middle school. Although...was he in a biker gang...?" Yosuke hummed in thought as he looked up at the ceiling, trying to get his information right.
"D-Did you say he was a legend?" Yukiko asked as her eyes sparkled in amazement. Yosuke and Nise blinked nervously at Yukiko's interest. Nise swatted his right hand in front of his face, chuckling nervously.
"Uh, it's not what you think, Yukiko..." Nise chuckled nervously. Yukiko looked down in slight disappointment.
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After school...
Hitomi's POV
I sighed softly in exhaustion as I took a sip of the soda that Hanamura had gotten for me. Since he insisted so much, I decided to go with him to Junes for us to talk and relax during his breaks. He really didn't want me to study once I got home, which I could understand. I was exhausted myself from the testing, but that one question was still getting to me...
"Man, I'm exhausted..." I heard Hanamura sigh, causing me to look up. He held in his hand a few bags of chips and in the other, a cup of filled with some sort of drink. Hanamura sighed heavily as he sat down across from me. He tossed me a bag of one of the chips, a weary smile on his face.
"Here, I got you something to snack on to recharge your brain" Hanamura chuckled. I nodded a thank you as the two of us opened our bags of chips. He had gotten me a cheese flavored one which I was actually a big fan of.
"You know, hanging out with you here every so often isn't that bad. Even if I'm short on cash, I can get a little discount here" Hanamura said with a smile and a wink as he ate a few chips.
"Though, there's a small price in exchange for that..." Hanamura laughed nervously. I would have felt a bit sorry for Hanamura if it wasn't for the fact that he seemed not to mind about this.
"Oh, there you are, Hanamura!" a girl's voice called out, catching my attention.
"God dammit..." Hanamura groaned softly, causing me to look over to him. I watched Hanamura get out of his seat to talk with a couple of girls who walked up to him, stopping right next to me as if I wasn't there. The two girls looked around our age, if not a little older. One of the girls had brown hair up in a bun and wore a yellow blouse with blue shorts and brown boots. The other girl had short, black hair in a bob and wore a short pink dress with purple thigh-high stockings and white shoes. They seemed rather angry.
"Hello there, Senpai" Hanamura said with a fake smile, sounding a little bored. "I see you two are out of uniform...What's wrong today?"
"You better say something to that blockhead manager!" the gaudy-looking brunette yelled, causing me to flinch a bit in surprise. "I told him I can't come in on Saturdays or Sundays. But he's saying I have to be here since we're low on staff. And if I don't, he'll fire me!"
"Isn't there some kinda law against that?!" The snooty-looking girl with the bob asked with a scoff, as she crossed her arms over her chest. I couldn't move or talk, feeling as if I was frozen by the girl's rude attitude.
"Hey, that blockhead happens to be my father" Hanamura struggled to say, his fake smile turning now into a strained grin. "And didn't you guys say you could work weekends during your interviews?" The gaudy-looking brunette scowled at Hanamura.
"Well, yeah. They wouldn't hire us if we didn't!" she scoffed. I blinked in surprise as I stared at the two girls, quizzically. These two are so rude...
"Alright, I got it..." Hanamura sighed. "I'll try talking with him...But you don't want to get fired, right? It'd make it easier for me to strike a deal if you could show up every now and then on the weekends..." There was a moment of silence as the girls glanced at each other. The gaudy-looking brunette huffed in defeat and annoyance.
"We'll think about it..." she scoffed, flicking her bangs to the side.
"You'd better do it, 'kay?" the snooty-looking girl with the bob said aggressively. I flinched, a sudden urge to slap these two filling me. I bit my lip, glaring at the table to restrain myself. With that said, the two girls walked away, leaving Hanamura and I alone once again.
"Who were they?" I asked as Hanamura sat down with an annoyed sigh. I couldn't believe that those girls managed to get a job here at Junes. Everyone in the store is rather nice, so for them to get a job... They must stick out like a sore thumb.
"The brunette's name is Manami and the other girl is Kurumi. They attend our school and are a year older than us, so I can't really lash out at them..." Hanamura replied with a rather annoyed tone. "Sorry you had to see that." I shook my head, giving him a rather angry look.
"No, I'm sorry that you have to deal with them. If someone is going to apply for a job, it should be one that they enjoy and is willing to do" I said with a slight stern look. Hanauma blinked in surprise, his cheeks reddening a bit.
"Haha, you raise a good point!" Hanamura laughed, his cheeks growing redder.
"Oh, Yosuke-kun. Just the man I'm looking for" a voice called out, catching our attention. An older woman walked up to Hanamura and I, instantly noticing my presence unlike the two other girls.
"Oh my, hello! Are you two on a date?" the woman asked with a giggle. Hanamura gasped in surprise, his face exploding red as he stood up.
"A-A d-date?! N-No, we're just hanging out!" Hanamura stuttered, his face becoming redder with each word that fell out of his mouth. The older woman giggled, a wide smile forming on her face.
"Your face is so red! How cute~!" the woman teased, causing Hanamura to stutter strange sounds. I found Hanamura's behavior rather strange. The date that the woman was implying was when two people socialized with each other on a scheduled day, right? It wasn't entirely scheduled, but Hanamura and I are technically on a date. Ignoring Hanamura's sounds, she placed both of her hands on her hips.
"I hate to disturb your date, but hear me out!" the woman began. "Remember that claim I had the other day? Well, the head butcher said..." Hanamura sighed, cooling down his face as he stopped the woman by placing his right hand in front of her.
"Alright, alright; let's talk over there" Hanamura sighed, glancing over to me. "Sorry, Narukami-chan. Could you give me a minute?" I nodded, finding it alright. Hanamura gave me an embarrassed smile before leading the woman over to a table where I couldn't hear them. After more than ten minutes, Hanamura came back and sat down in his seat. He crossed his arms and let out an exhausted sigh.
"What a pain... I'm not the complaints department...!" Hanamura grumbled. He grabbed his cup and took a large gulp. He must have been parched from talking so much.
"Well, I think you're incredible for being able to do that" I complemented with a light tone. Hanamura blinked in surprise as he glanced up at me, his face reddening once again.
"Huh?" Hanamura said after he gulped, a sheepish smile creeping to his face. "It's nothing but trouble!"
"True, but I'm just amazed that you still managed to stay so calm." I began. "I mean, we just finished the last of our exams today. I can tell you're pretty exhausted." I was highly impressed with Hanamura.
"Is it that obvious?" Hanamura frowned. "Geez... Everyone's just trying to take advantage of me as the Junes kid. Maybe I wouldn't mind if I was free, but we have the murders to deal with. I don't have time for this." Hanamura looked down at his lap, his eyes narrowing.
"Can the police really handle the killer? Can the law really convict whoever's behind this...?" Hanamura muttered, his expression turning painful. He must be worried for Konishi's sake... My heart instantly reached out to Hanamura, wanting to comfort him. Hanamura suddenly shook his head and sighed.
"Once I started worrying about that stuff, I knew I couldn't bother with anything else. I have to do what I can..." Hanamura said as he looked determined at the table, his hands tightening up into fists.
"That's the spirit, Hanamura!" I cheered loud enough to surprise Hanamura, but not loud enough to draw unwanted attention.
"H-Hey, don't get carried away!" Hanamura stuttered, surprised. "You make me feel like I said something crazy..." I shook my head, giving him a thumbs up.
"Not 'crazy'. 'Smart'!" I said with a strange tone. Hanamura laughed, his right eyebrow raised.
"Haha... I never thought I'd actually be talking about serious stuff like this..." Hanamura began once he calmed down. "Before I moved here, it was all small talk... Stupid, trivial things. I thought that was fine. It's only with you guys that I talk seriously like this. I dunno why, but I feel like I don't have to lie... Especially with you. You've already seen the worst of me and all." I nodded slowly, recalling that day. My heart stung a little bit, feeling a bit guilty as I remembered how I punched Hanamura to get him to calm down.
"But well..." Hanamura began, catching my attention. He was smiling gently at me with soft eyes that I have never seen on him before, his face a light pink but not red. "Thinking about it now, if someone had to see that, I'm glad it was you. It's a bit late now, but... Thanks for going in with me that time." I blinked in surprise, feeling my face heat up. For some strange reason, my heart skipped a beat at Hanamura's smile. The corners of my mouth twitched violently, as if animals trying to break a door down. I bit my lips together and nodded.
"No problem" I replied softly, my mind too busy to figure out what was wrong with me.
I feel... strange. I feel nostalgic and yet... Sad. My heart was trying to express an emotion that I had once lost... and can never return.