"If x is equal to 16, then how can y..."
"...what was this again?" Haruna wondered as she stared at the sheet laying in front of her. At the moment, she found herself on midterm test number 3 of 7 for the week. On Monday had been both language courses of Japanese and English, then Tuesday followed it up with math. Wednesday would be another double day, with the test week then wrapping up with one test each on Thursday and Friday. The results of each test wouldn't be posted until after the Sports Festival, which was next week. However, Haruna didn't need to see her scores to know she had utterly bombed the first two.
It wasn't as if Haruna was a bad student. She wasn't anywhere near the top either, but she at least knew enough to pass her classes. The problem was that she found her mind to be elsewhere at the most critical time of the year so far.
The feeling that was currently plaguing Haruna as she tried to understand the question she was on was one that had been reoccurring ever since the study session she had been a part of. It seemed that any time she tried to concentrate on something, she'd find her thoughts drifting back to that moment. Back to the moment of Kanako's spell-binding aura.
Haruna had wanted nothing to do with that study session, but upon Chiyo's insistence (and threats), she had went anyways. That had resulted in Haruna having an experience that she simply couldn't understand.
It was such a simple scene. A girl sitting across from her going over her notes. There was nothing special about such an action and there was certainly nothing about it that could possibly be construed as 'alluring.' And yet, Haruna had found herself frozen in place, with her eyes glued on the girl before her.
To her, for so many years, Kanako had been nothing but a pest, a constant thorn in her side that she was desperate to get rid of. Haruna felt nothing for her but anger and hatred. At least, that's what she had thought. So why was it that in that moment, Kanako had appeared to be so... entrancingly beautiful...?
Haruna shook her head violently to clear the thought away. "No!" she screamed inside. "It's not like that! That girl has nothing going for her. There's no way anyone would fall for that, especially not... me..." Haruna found her thoughts trailing off again. "Falling for...?" she wondered. Was that what it was? "That's absurd," Haruna concluded. "I fell for Miyashita-kun. That's who I'm in love with. Hell, that goes for boys in general. This feeling and what I feel for Miyashita-kun are absolutely not the same... It was just... just..." Unlike the last time Haruna had experienced her heart throbbing at the sight of Kanako, she struggled to come up with an excuse to explain it away.
Again she shook her head, this time causing the teacher to look up at her curiously from his papers. Haruna noticed and quickly sent her gaze back down to her paper. If she didn't get back to work, she wouldn't even finish the test, much less pass it. So, deciding to double her efforts, Haruna cracked down on her math midterm, flying through several questions before having to stop at one and think.
Unfortunately, losing that momentum allowed Haruna's thoughts to drift once more. Her mind hovered on the visual of Kanako studiously doing her work. The gentle glow of the sunlight pouring through the window beside them was soft against her skin, giving her a glow of her own. With a little motion of her head as she moved to read the next page, a thin lock of Kanako's hair fell loose from her head, dropping and swaying back and forth as it hung. She of course noticed, and brought up her hand to adjust it with slender fingers, dragging them lightly along the length of the lock and down the side of her face before setting it back down on the book she had open.
It was a scene that was a mix of real and imagined. Kanako fixing her hair had certainly happened, but in Haruna's mind, the details were a bit, well, exaggerated. All it had really been was a simple action of grabbing the hair and putting it back where it belonged. And yet, to Haruna, the scene had played out in a way that had kept her attention entirely.
After a second, Haruna realized what she was thinking. "Knock it off!" she said, but this time out loud. "Endo-san, are you alright?" the teacher asked. As soon as the words had escaped her lips, Haruna had slammed her hand to her mouth, so through her fingers she replied: "Yeah... I'm fine..." The teacher was skeptical but, after only a bit of consideration, he decided to believe her and went back to what he was doing.
Haruna let out a sigh of relief, but at the time, another girl let out a noise. It was a giggle and it was coming from Chiyo. The expression the gal was making conveyed something along the lines of: "Oh, Haru-chi," but it was not endearing. Rather, it felt more like a jab. Haruna retaliated with a glare of her own, which caused Chiyo to snort again before going back to her test.
"What the hell is going on with me...?" Haruna wondered. She just couldn't understand her own emotions. That thought alone reminded her of when she was trying to figure out how she felt about Akio.
It had really only been a couple of years ago that Haruna had come to the conclusion that she was in love, but the process to get to that point had been long and difficult. Akio was a boy that Haruna had been with her whole life. She had always known she enjoyed being around him, but it wasn't until her fellow students started getting in relationships around her that she began to wonder if it was the same.
Was she in love? Or, was it just a familiar friendliness that had deep roots? It was a debate that Haruna had struggled with mightily. One day, she had asked Chiyo for advice, to which Chiyo had bluntly replied: "It's love." The response had practically floored Haruna. Was it really that simple? Had she just been overthinking things? But, even with her best friend spelling it out for her, Haruna was still uncertain.
On the one hand, there was still the possibility that it wasn't love. That the feelings she had were simply being pushed a little too much to the forefront of her mind and causing her to think that it was love. It was an explanation that part of Haruna wished to be true, and that was due to the other side.
On the other hand, it really could be love, in which case Haruna would be finding herself developing her first crush. It definitely felt exciting, but the idea also brought about a new fear. What if Haruna told Akio how she felt and he not only rejected her, but it became impossible to remain even friends? That was something Haruna didn't want. She knew she wasn't all that friendly, so she really did treasure the few friends she did have (even if she didn't show it). To lose one would be like losing something precious, especially if that one was Akio.
So the question that finally resulted from all of her hard thinking was one that practically every girl has at one point in their life or another: To confess, or not to confess?
Once Haruna had accepted the fact that she was in love, she asked Chiyo what she should do, but in the end, the only real answer Chiyo had given was that Haruna should confess. However, even with her friend's advice, Haruna still didn't know. She was afraid to hear the answer and what could possibly result from her actions.
But, after going over the situation she found herself in over, and over, and over again, Haruna had had enough. She gathered her resolve and decided that she would confess, consequences be damned. After writing a letter that probably could've stood to be a little sweeter and then inserting it into Akio's locker, Haruna had waited in anxious anticipation for the day to end so she could bear her true feelings to the boy she had grown up with.
And then, lo and behold, there was the other person Haruna had spent her childhood with.
Their history was bad enough, but then she stole Haruna's moment too, causing them both to get thrown into probably one of the most ludicrous ideas in human history: to date this guy, these two girls must date first and then the guy will choose between them.
So, after everything that had happened, how could Haruna possibly feel anything toward Kanako but contempt? No matter what, that was all she would ever feel.
But Haruna's heart disagreed. It had leapt twice already at the sight of the girl she should loathe, which had prompted Haruna's mind to head into a downward spiral of what that could possibly mean. Down and down the rabbit hole of her own emotions she went, looking for an answer. Unfortunately, while Haruna was lost in her own head, stuck on these moments, the hands of the clock on the wall were not. They continued to move, until finally they hit the designated time that allowed the teacher to stand and announce: "Time's up!"
When Haruna looked down at her paper, she saw she had only answered a little more than half of the questions. With a loud groan, Haruna passed her test up to the front with the rest of her row, knowing that the total number of F's she would be getting had now risen to three.
With the test concluded, the students were allowed to relax until lunchtime, so when the command was given, the room exploded with sound. Haruna's classmates immediately began talking about how they felt they had done on the math midterm, and Chiyo was no exception as she dashed over to the girl's desk.
"So Haru-chi, how do you think you did?" she asked smugly, basically already knowing the answer. "Shut up..." Haruna muttered, then reluctantly: "...how'd you do?" Chiyo threw up a peace sign right in Haruna's face. "I bet I aced it!" she said proudly. "That Mayu-chan's a real life-saver! If she hadn't helped me study, I would've failed for sure!" "Well good for you," Haruna said, not meaning it at all. "Aw, c'mon Haru-chi, don't be like that! You just gotta pass the next few and you'll be all good!"
"Hey you two," a sultry voice suddenly said nearby. "Jas-chin!" Chiyo exclaimed. "Hey, how'd ya do?" Jasmine gave a slight smile and said simply: "I passed. No doubt." Then she took a look at Haruna. "What happened to you?" Jasmine asked directly. "She's just depressed because she's gonna flunk," Chiyo whispered, though it was definitely loud enough for Haruna to hear. But, instead of defending herself, Haruna just took it. "What's the point?" she thought. "Chiyo's right. At this rate, I'm going to have to work myself to death in the second half to even come close to passing this term."
*****
At the same time, Kanako had just finished up her own test for the day. "It's finally over..." she said to herself. "Yeah, but only for today," Michi pointed out. "Don't remind me," Kanako sighed. Michi laughed. "Well, at least the tests haven't been too hard." "Says one of the top students," Kanako pouted.
Within moments of the tests concluding, Mayu and Itsuki appeared at the door and made their way over to the other two girls. "Hey Mayu-chan, Itsuki-chan," Kanako said. "Hey Kana-chan," Itsuki said in an unusually somber tone. "What's wrong with her?" Michi asked Mayu. "She told me she was tired," Mayu answered. The response seemed to prompt Itsuki to flop onto Kanako's desk. "It's not fair!" she began to whine. "It's bad enough that they make us take these stupid tests over the course of a whole week, but then on top of that the track club's practices are getting even harder! Can't they cut us some slack?!"
The whole group laughed, and it was only shortly after that the bell rang to signal it was time for lunch. However, with students all over the place thanks to the burst of energy they were getting from getting a break, the four girls thought it might be best if they went to eat in the cafeteria instead of staying in the classroom thanks to some students being rather rowdy. So they headed to the white-walled room that served as Iwanai High's cafeteria.
With all four of the girls bringing their lunches, they were able to at least avoid the lines, but grabbing a table proved to be difficult due to many students being in the cafeteria too. "I can't believe we all have to get packed in here like sardines," Michi complained, not appreciating the lack of space. "It would be nice if they made this area a little bigger, but it kind of makes me feel better," Mayu said. "Feel better how?" Michi asked. "Well, this way, you get to see people and spend time with others that you wouldn't normally get to, so it makes me happy," Mayu explained.
Just as Mayu finished offering her explanation, a loud shout echoed across the space.
"Heeeyy, Kana-chaaaaann!"
The source of the shout had come from none other than Chiyo Wakabayashi. Suddenly hearing her name like that made Kanako feel both surprised and embarrassed, so all she could manage was a shy wave and smile back. "Wow, I didn't know you were such good friends with Wakabayashi-san," Itsuki observed. "Huh? O-Oh, is that how it looks?" Kanako said. "I don't know if we're necessarily g-good friends." Kanako said that, but part of her hoped that was really the case. She hadn't spent that much time around Chiyo, but in the time that she had, Kanako had felt like it was always more fun.
"Tch. I don't know why you bother with her," Michi spat. "C-Come on Mi-chan. You should give her a chance," Kanako said. "No way. I can't stand her," Michi replied, indicating that line of conversation was over. "Whoa, hey, who's that with her?" Itsuki suddenly asked, causing the other three girls to turn their attention back to where Chiyo was.
Just slightly behind her was a girl that practically exuded seduction, with her long eyelashes and wavy pink hair that came down past her shoulders. "Oh, that's Hiraoka-san," Kanako said. "Wait a minute. You know her too Kana-chan?" Itsuki asked. "Well, when I was eating lunch with Haruna and Chiyo, she made an appearance once or twice..." "Oh, gotcha. Hey, how come you stopped doing that anyways? Y'know, having lunch with Endo-san?" "..."
Kanako went quiet. There were only three people that knew about the last argument. Two of them were herself and Haruna, and the other was Chiyo. Kanako guessed that Akio might've known too, but she couldn't be sure of that.
"I just... didn't feel like it anymore..." Kanako lied. Michi looked at her friend with concern, but decided to keep her mouth shut. "But it was so weird. I mean, one moment you start eating with them, and then you're back with us, like nothing happened. I bet I know what happened though. I bet-"
"Can we please not talk about this?!" Kanako abruptly shouted, cutting Itsuki off. "Oh... okay. Sorry Kana-chan. I didn't mean to upset you," Itsuki said. "N-no! I... I'm not upset. I'm sorry..." Kanako said, her voice becoming quieter and quieter with each word. An awkward silence hung over the group until Mayu managed to break it by talking about something her little sister did yesterday.
While she told her story, Kanako sat in her chair and continuously went over why she reacted the way she just had. "Why did I shout like that?" she wondered. "I know I can come off as a little touchy when it comes to Haruna, but that's no excuse..." Kanako did have a vague idea of what the answer could be, and it came in two parts.
The first was because of Kanako telling Haruna she hated her. It was something that Kanako still hadn't been able to apologize for, and with more and more time passing, it became harder and harder to say anything. She also knew that the longer things remained stagnant between the two of them, the higher the likelihood was that Akio would put an end to his "deal." That was something that Kanako definitely didn't want. She still had feelings for Akio, just like she had for so long. Those weren't something that were easily forgotten. So the problem had become finding a way to get Akio to choose her without having to be with Haruna.
However, that sort of solution felt too scheme-ish to Kanako. She didn't like feeling like she was plotting something. Kanako knew that that was something Haruna was probably considering, but it wasn't a method she found particularly desirable. But, without being willing to take that approach, Kanako wasn't sure what to do.
The whole situation had felt hopeless, until the day of the study session. Kanako had figured that Haruna probably hated her even more than she did before after their fight, so the idea of interacting had sounded dreadful. The only saving grace to the whole ordeal would be the librarian that always kept a watchful eye on the both of them. At least, that's what Kanako had thought. She had entirely expected the entire meeting to be filled to the brim with insults and glares.
Instead, Haruna had behaved herself, but that still wasn't what Kanako found odd. It was a moment while she had been studying that had stuck out to her. As Kanako had been reviewing her notes, she had felt like someone was staring at her. When she looked up, she had found that her suspicions had been right, as she found Haruna meeting her gaze. However, it wasn't an angry expression that Haruna had. To Kanako's surprise, Haruna's face had almost looked...soft. It seemed to Kanako that rather than being stared at with contempt, there was tenderness and caring in Haruna's eyes.
The moment hadn't lasted long. As soon as the two girls realized what was happening, it had led to a conversation that had had a familiar unpleasant tone. But even with that, Kanako was left with a thought: if what she had seen was really there, did that mean there was still a chance to make up? "Even if that is true, when can I talk to her?" Kanako wondered. "We have midterms the rest of this week and next week we have to get ready for the sports festival..."
"Uh, hey, Kana-chan? You kinda got rice... everywhere," Itsuki said, snapping Kanako out of her wonderings. "Huh? Ah! Oh geez, what a mess!" Kanako exclaimed, moving quickly to clean up her rice that was all over the table and her. As Kanako took care of her mess, Michi found herself growing with more concern.
When the day had ended and the girls parted ways, Michi and Mayu walked home together. Kanako always had to go the opposite direction and Itsuki had track practice. Michi didn't mind. She enjoyed Mayu's company, and, because the girl in glasses seemed to always know what to say, Michi decided to ask for her advice.
"You think Kana-chan is in trouble?" Mayu repeated the question. "What kind of trouble?" "Well, I don't know..." Michi said sheepishly. It wasn't like she had any real basis for her suspicions. The only thing she had to go on was the fact that ever since Kanako had gone to confess to Akio, two items of note had come to be: One, she wasn't in a relationship with Akio but she insisted she hadn't been turned down either. Two, Kanako was suddenly spending a lot more time with Haruna.
Michi had tried to get her own answers directly from Kanako, but it was no use. Any time the subject came up, Kanako had managed to evade the question or just reject it entirely in an emotional outburst. After the last one, Michi had decided that she wasn't going to press the issue any further with her, but that didn't mean she had stopped wondering about what could possibly be going on. Whatever it was, it was clear that it revolved around three people: Kanako, Akio and Haruna.
Unfortunately that was the bottom to the depth of information that Michi possessed. She had wondered if Chiyo knew something, but the thought of talking to her made her skin crawl. Even if the gal did know something, there was no guarantee that she'd tell Michi, which meant that Michi could end up putting herself through a terrible ordeal for nothing.
"You know, now that you mention it, Kana-chan has seemed different ever since her confession to Miyashita-san," Mayu said, bringing Michi back to the present moment. "So you've noticed it too..." Michi said. "I don't think it's anything to worry about though," Mayu said with a smile. "I think the changes that Kana-chan has made have been making her better."
"Better?" Michi repeated in her head. "How is it better? She looks on edge and miserable all the time now." Instead of saying that, Michi went with something else. "Do you think... that somehow Kana-chan is being forced into being around Endo-san...?" It was a question Michi was afraid to both ask and have answered. She hated the idea of one of her closest friends being bullied like that. It was bad enough to her that she had had to hear about what had happened to Kanako a couple of weeks ago with those girls that got suspended. She hadn't been there to protect her, and instead, rumor had it that Haruna had been the one to bail her out. Even if that was true though, it wasn't enough to suddenly make Haruna good, at least in Michi's eyes.
"I doubt she's being forced. After all, Endo-san looks just as against it as Kana-chan is," Mayu offered. Michi let out the tension in her jaw that she hadn't realized had been building. "Yeah, maybe you're right... It's just... I wish she'd tell us what was going on," Michi said. "We just have to be patient. She'll tell us when she's ready," Mayu said.
Patience had never been Michi's strong suit. She wanted to know now, not some day. So what could she do to find out?
When the two girls hit their split-off point, Mayu gave a wave to Michi before walking away. Michi responded in kind, then slowly let her hand drop back down to her side. "I don't get it..." she thought. "Why can't you say what's going on Kana-chan?"
After arriving back at her apartment and going through her usual routine of studying, eating dinner, studying, taking a bath and then more studying, Michi set her pencil down on her desk and leaned back in her chair. She glanced at her phone, considering calling Kanako and just asking her straight-up if she was being blackmailed, but then she decided against it. Openly confronting her would probably just go poorly, just like it had before. "What can I do?" Michi wondered.
As if the universe was answering her question, her phone vibrated loudly against the wooden desktop it was laying on. Michi picked it up and saw she had gotten a message from a number she didn't recognize. After punching in the code to unlock the screen, Michi opened the message and immediately let out an audible groan.
From: ?
"Heya Mi-chan! Kana-chan gave me your number, so I thought I'd hit you up! Are you asleep? Tee-hee!"
"Tee-hee?" Michi repeated with disgust, knowing by the text who it could possibly be. "I'm really going to have to scold Kana-chan for this one." One of the last things Michi had ever wanted was for Chiyo Wakabayashi to have her phone number. However, as the blond-haired girl sat in place in anguish, a sudden thought occurred to her. She had wondered earlier if Chiyo knew anything. Now seemed like the perfect time and opportunity to ask.
When Michi got a reply, she got the sense that the tone in Chiyo's message had suddenly gotten a lot more serious.
From: ?
"Well, since you're obvs awake, wanna meet up?"
Michi looked at the upper right corner of her phone, which glowed the time of 8:51. She wasn't particularly in the mood to go out due to her already taking her bath, and she certainly didn't want to be seen with that bimbo... But...
Ultimately, it was Michi's desire to know that won out. She was desperate to learn anything she could about what kind of situation Kanako had gotten herself into. So desperate times called for desperate measures. Switching from pajamas to a pair of jeans, light green t-shirt and a black jacket over top of it, Michi headed out of her apartment and toward the meeting spot Chiyo had just texted her.
It was about a ten minute walk which had caused Michi to arrive at a sort of pavilion structure. Overall it was small, with there only being two picnic tables under the overhanging wooden roof. Nearby was a small family restaurant and a convenience store. While the restaurant was just about to close, the other business was in it's prime for the night, with plenty of people coming in and out to grab late dinners and snacks.
Taking a look around, it appeared that Chiyo wasn't there yet, so Michi decided to take a seat in the pavilion. "I sure hope she hurries up," she thought. Aside from the obviousness of her not wanting to hang around Chiyo, Michi was also getting cold. It was already early June, but even a soon-to-be summer night in Hokkaido could make a person want to keep a light jacket on hand. Although, even with the jacket Michi had chosen to put on, the slight breeze wasn't doing her any favors in the keeping-warm department.
About five minutes later, Michi saw a busty figure lightly jogging over to her. She was wearing a white button-up shirt with the first three buttons undone. On top of that was a glittering pink jacket, and rounding out the outfit was a pair of jeans that clung so tight to the girl's thighs that Michi swore she could hear the very seams screaming in agony. Pulling her eyes away from that though led her to looking at what was in the girl's hand. It was a plastic bag with something in it, clearly from the convenience store.
"Sorry about my tardiness!" Chiyo said with a mimicked salute. "I thought we might want something to drink, so I stopped in that store over there, but man, it was packed! Like, it was totally about to explode with people, haha!" "I doubt it was that busy," Michi thought. "So anyways, here you go!" Chiyo said, pulling her hand out of the bag and handing a drink to Michi. It was a strawberry-kiwi flavored... "What is this?" Michi wondered aloud.
"Hm? You've never had one?" Chiyo asked. Michi stared at her, impatiently waiting for an answer. "It's a drink that makes you feel all warm and cozy. I love it! The thick, creamy tartness of it is sooo good!" For some reason, the way Chiyo had said that made Michi feel a little flustered. Staring at the one that had been given to her, she reluctantly cracked open the lid and gave it a try.
"Gross!" Michi thought instantly when the substance touched her lips. Outwardly, she spit it out and coughed. "Whoa, are you okay?" Chiyo asked, reaching out her hand. Michi smacked it away. "That's disgusting! Who'd want to drink this crap?!" Chiyo took a seat next to Michi. "Oh... I guess you don't like it... I would've gotten something you do like, but I wasn't sure what that was, so I just sorta guessed... my bad."
Michi was about to fire off another insulting remark when she looked up and saw the expression Chiyo was making. She was smiling, just like she always did, but there was more to it. It was clear to Michi that there was pain behind it. She had clearly tried her best to get something for her, but the only thanks she had been given was Michi having a fit. When Michi realized that, she suddenly felt embarrassed.
"I guess... it's not that bad..." Michi sighed as she started gulping it down. The flavor was horrible and the texture was even worse, but she drank it nonetheless. Taking a side glance at Chiyo, she saw a look of surprise. "What?" Michi asked as she lowered the bottle. "You really mean that? You don't hate it?" Chiyo asked, her eyes practically begging Michi to say yes. "Yes, I mean it! Now could you back off?" Michi said, agitated by Chiyo's sudden closeness. "I'm glad," Chiyo said. "Back in Tokyo, those were all the rage for a bit, but for some reason all of my friends thought the same thing you did. But I really always loved these drinks. Something about them just always made me feel better."
Michi had been caught off-guard by the way Chiyo was speaking. It felt like she was remembering something painful. "These made her feel better...?" Michi thought as she stared at the half-empty bottle. "Damn it... I shouldn't have been so ungrateful..."
Now fully feeling like a jerk, even if it was Chiyo, Michi could only manage to sit in uncomfortable silence. "S-So," she finally managed to say. "Why did you call me out here? It's getting late and it's still cold at night you know." "Oh, that's right!" Chiyo exclaimed, her chipperness seemingly back to full strength. "You wanted to know about Kana-chan, yeah?" "So you do know something," Michi said, eyes narrowing. "Yeah, but I probably shouldn't be the one to tell you."
Michi found her patience wearing thin. "You dragged me out her just to tell me that?" she growled. "Now, now Mi-chan, it's not like I won't tell you anything," Chiyo said calmly. "There is one thing I can tell you." Michi listened intently. "When Kana-chan went to confess her love for Akio-kun, she wasn't the only one there." "Huh? What do you mean?" Michi asked.
"Haru-chi was there too. They confessed at the same time, to the same boy."
Michi was stunned. That was definitely a detail Kanako hadn't told her. "Wait... They... At the same time?" Michi struggled to say. Chiyo nodded. "Mhm. Just like a scene out of a rom-com!" Michi was trying her hardest to figure out what that new information meant. It was clear that Akio wasn't going out with Haruna, so even with them confessing at the same time, that should mean neither of them got accepted. But then why did Kanako say she hadn't been rejected or accepted?
"I don't get it..." Michi finally said. "Well, that's really all I can tell you, unless you manage to squeeze it out of Akio-kun," Chiyo said. When Michi heard that, it sparked an aggressive idea. She would pin down Akio tomorrow at school and forced him to tell her everything! If he was playing some sort of game with her friend, she'd tear him to pieces.
While Michi nearly drooled over the idea, Chiyo spoke again. "I do have one question for you." Michi snapped out of it and looked at the gal. "What do you think... of two girls dating?"
The question froze Michi. "Two girls?" she thought. Then she jumped to a conclusion. "W-Whoa! H-Hang on! I'm not-! I don't-! I-I-!" Michi stammered, fearing that Chiyo was about to try something on her. Instead, Chiyo just laughed. "Wow, that reaction was like, priceless! I wish I would've recorded it!" Michi felt her face get really hot. "You... you..." she began. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?!?!"
After managing to stop her giggling and wiping away the tears in her eyes, Chiyo continued. "I'm sorry you got the wrong idea, but I still meant what I asked." Michi was silent, then: "I think..."
"It's wrong."
Michi's eyes were full of certainty as she looked at Chiyo. "Girls can't date other girls. There's no way that would work." Chiyo closed her eyes. "I see. You seem pretty sure of that," she said with an odd amount of maturity. "W-Well, what do you think?" Michi asked, trying to sound accusing, but ended up sounding more like a child trying to make a comeback.
"I think... it's good to keep an open mind."
Chiyo said that, then stood up and looked at her phone. "Ah, look at the time! It really is getting late! Oh, my sister is so gonna kill me!" Rushing to pick up the bag she had brought, Chiyo said: "Sorry Mi-chan, I gotta go! See you at school tomorrow!" Michi was surprised. "H-Hey! Wait!" she called, but Chiyo had already dashed off.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Michi rose and grabbed the bottle still half-full of thick strawberry-kiwi flavored liquid. As she walked back home, she wondered about the question Chiyo had asked her, but it didn't take her long to reach the same conclusion she had declared earlier. "I know I'm right," she thought resolutely. "Two girls can't be in a relationship. It's impossible."
After finishing that train of thought, Michi also found herself making note of two more things. "So she has a sister..." she thought. "And she's from Tokyo..."
*****
The next day, Michi had resolved herself to confront Akio in her efforts to try to figure out what was going on. Anxiously she sat through class, waiting for the clock to hit 3:00. When it finally came, Michi hurriedly threw her stuff in her desk and bag, then rushed to the door, leaving behind a confused Kanako.
Michi knew that Akio had a tendency to go home right away, so she hoped that she'd run into the boy just before he left. Sure enough, as Michi arrived at the doors, there was Akio with one of his friends ready to head home. Before she even realized what she was doing, Michi shouted.
"Akio Miyashita!"
The boy stopped and turned around, looking surprised at the fact someone had called for him so boisterously. He became even more surprised when he saw that the owner of that voice was none other than Michi. He smiled, then began to backtrack until he was standing right in front of her. "What can I do for you Fukuhara-san?" he asked. His kindness struck a nerve with Michi. Through gritted teeth she replied: "Come with me. Now."
Not giving Akio a choice by grabbing his wrist and dragging him along, Michi led him to an unused classroom that was unlocked. Once inside, Akio walked further in and Michi shut the door, though it sounded more like she had slammed it. Then the two of them stood in silence, with Akio seemingly enjoying the moment.
"I'm sure you want to ask me something," he began, then turned to face Michi. The girl's face became stern. "Yeah, I do," she said pointedly. "I want you to tell me what's been going with Kana-chan and you." "Kana-chan and me?" Akio replied in a playing-dumb tone. "Yes," Michi said, giving a hard stare. Akio sighed, then shrugged. "I have no idea what you mean." Michi took a couple steps closer. "Fine, then I'll tell you what I know. I know that Kana-chan went to confess to you a while back. I know that you never gave her an answer, and I also know that Endo-san was there too. Afterwards, for whatever reason, Kana-chan and Endo-san started hanging around each other more than they ever used to. I know that that's been making Kana-chan miserable and I know that you have something to do with all of this."
When Michi finished, Akio stared at her with an impressed look. "Well, it seems like you're well on your way to putting all the pieces together," he said. "You bet I am. Now how about you give me the ones I'm missing," Michi commanded.
"I can't do that."
Akio looked away when he said that. "W-What do you mean you can't? All you have to do is open your mouth and say the words! Is it really that hard to-" Michi was yelling, but got cut off. "Fukuhara-san," Akio said in a hardened tone. "Are you so bent on getting answers that you'd even be willing to hurt Kana-chan?" Michi froze. "Hurt... Kana-chan? How?" she asked.
Akio adjusted his hair with a free hand, then went on to explain. "I've known Kana-chan for a long time. I know how she is, so I'm willing to bet that when you asked her about this before, she didn't want to tell you. If I give you the answers you're looking for, that'd be like betraying Kana-chan and her feelings. Both for me and you." Michi was speechless. That was something she hadn't considered. "I don't want to hurt her..." she thought. "But she's already in pain, isn't she? So..."
"I still want to know," Michi said, causing Akio to look genuinely surprised. "Kana-chan's my best friend and right now she's suffering. I want to do everything I can to help her. So please, Miyashita-san, just tell me-"
"I won't!" Akio suddenly shouted, causing Michi to take a step back. She didn't know Akio that well, but in the times she'd been around him, she'd never once heard him raise his voice like that. The boy kept his face downcast, appearing to be dealing with a swirl of emotional conflict. When he managed to get past it, Akio looked back up at Michi with as serious of an expression on his face as she had ever seen.
"I know you want to protect Kana-chan. So do I. But while you're willing to do anything... I'm not. I can't stand the idea of Kana-chan getting hurt, but there's a difference between necessary pain and needless pain. Going behind her back to tell you what's going on would be needless." "But letting her suffer by Endo-san's hand and mouth is?!" Michi retorted. "Yes!" Akio yelled back. "One day, Fukuhara-san, you'll see. You'll see how much good this will do for her. And not just for Kana-chan. Haruna-chan too. They both need this, so please... I'm asking you to be patient and wait for Kana-chan to tell you herself."
Michi found that she had ran out of things to say. In her mind, she knew Akio was right. The way she was approaching the situation was backhanded and she should just wait for Kana-chan to be ready to talk. But, in her heart, she felt so many emotions. She felt anger at Akio for not answering her and at Haruna for being a constant jerk to Kanako. She felt uncertainty because she had no idea how she could help Kanako. And of course, she felt sadness because Kanako was sad. The only thing Michi could come up with to do in the moment was to clench her teeth and fists together.
"If we're done here, I'd like to go home," Akio said. Michi remained silent, so the boy breezed past her and through the door. "Damn it..." Michi let out. "I just want to know... I just... want to help my friend..."
"Hm? Oh hey Mi-chan! What're you- Whoa, what's with the waterworks?!" Itsuki said as she appeared in the doorway. Michi had turned around at the sound of her voice, but she hadn't realized she was crying. "Huh?" she said, feeling the corners of her eyes. Sure enough, they were wet. "Sorry," Michi said as she wiped them away. "Is everything okay?" Itsuki asked, worried. Michi wasn't sure how to answer that. Everything certainly wasn't okay, but at the same time, she didn't feel like taking the time to explain to Itsuki. So instead, she simply said: "I'm fine. Just stressed about midterms." Michi tried to play it off, but it was clear Itsuki wasn't buying it. "You? Stressed about midterms?" Michi nodded. "Well, if you say so..." Itsuki said, still concerned.
The two girls then began to walk away from the classroom and down the hall. "Hey, shouldn't you be at practice?" Michi asked. "It was just a meeting today. We have them every now and then to discuss the state of the team and what's coming up. Also, apparently enough of the club members complained to the coach about having practice during midterms that he decided to make the rest of the week easy." "I see..." Michi responded absentmindedly.
Beginning the walk home, Michi kept getting lost in thought as Itsuki spoke, prompting the track girl to repeat herself several times. When they split off, Michi continued to think until the next thing she knew, she was at her apartment's front door. Putting in the key and going in, the door shut behind her and she leaned up against it.
"Kana-chan, just how long will I have to wait until you talk to me?"
*****
When Friday afternoon rolled around, a general air of relief spread through all of Iwanai Municipal High School. The entire student body was finished with their tests and there was plenty of tension released. However, underneath those feelings were plenty of others. Some felt like they aced their exams, others were convinced they failed and some found themselves somewhere in the middle.
Among that middle group was Kanako, who was equal parts relieved and anxious about her tests and how she did. "It's finally overrrrr!" Itsuki proclaimed, getting a laugh out of Mayu. "It did seem like these midterms went on longer than before," she said. "No kidding! A week of tests is awful!" Itsuki moaned. "But now..." she continued, quickly regaining her energetic composure. "The best time of the year is nearly here!" "Oh yeah, the sports festival is next week isn't it?" Michi said. "Whaddya mean 'oh yeah?!' Did you seriously forget?!" "You know Itsuki-chan, not all of us are as athletically gifted as you," Kanako said. There was a pause, then the girls burst into laughter. It felt good to be like that. One of the worst parts of the year was over with, so now was the time to have fun.
However, while Kanako believed that, there was still a part of her that felt uneasy. She still had yet to make up with Haruna, and she wanted to ask her something too. "Why was she staring at me like that in library?" she had wondered for over a week. "It was so different than any other time she had looked at me..."
It was a memory that gave her questions, but it also made Kanako happy. She hoped that it meant she had an opening to make up with Haruna. "Okay!" she thought to herself. "During the festival, I'll talk to her!" "Whoa, Kana-chan looks pumped up!" Itsuki said, bringing Kanako back to reality. "I thought you weren't excited for the sports festival?" "W-Well, I guess I found something to look forward to," Kanako answered sheepishly, feeling embarrassing from unconsciously pumping her fists. "Oh yeah? What's that?" Itsuki asked. Giving a playful look, Kanako said: "It's a secret!"
The day soon came to a close, leading to the weekend and a new motivation for Kanako. She hoped that she and Haruna would be able to talk while preparations for the festival were being made, but she knew that might not happen. Each class was going to be pretty busy, so she might not get the time.
Even if she didn't get the chance, she'd find one. Kanako felt more determined than ever. "I'm going to do this," she thought. "I'm going to make things right!"
End of Chapter Twelve.