It was a couple of days later when Haruna had an unpleasant encounter. While waiting around for Kanako to get out of her club (Haruna's own club didn't have practice that day), Akio happened to find her. Or at least, he tried to make it seem that way.
"Oh, hey Haruna-chan. I didn't know you were here," Akio said with a smile. Once upon a time, Haruna's heart would've fluttered at even those simple words. She had been in love with Akio, and getting a smile from the boy would've been enough to make her feel over the moon. Now though, her feelings were different. The sight of Akio filled her with disdain. It wasn't because she hated him. In fact, looked at objectively, it was safe to say that Haruna did still like Akio as a friend. Her annoyance instead stemmed from the fact that she knew recent experience proved that whenever the boy showed up, nothing good ever seemed to follow.
In response to Akio's greeting, Haruna simply ignored him. "Honestly I have a bunch of things I want to say to him, but right now I just kind of want him to go away," she thought. Perhaps earlier in the day Haruna would've had the energy to interrogate Akio while simultaneously insulting him, but at the end of the day after sitting through boring classes and her own frustrations, she didn't care enough to bother. At the moment, all she really wanted was to be able to walk back home hand in hand with Kanako, just the two of them.
The thought brought a small smile to Haruna's face, but it was quickly dashed by Akio making further comments. "That's a nice smile there. I wonder what could make you make an expression like that. Or is it more accurate to ask who?" With that remark, Haruna could ignore Akio no longer. She turned to face him, glaring harshly. "If you're just here to annoy me, congrats, it's working," she spat out. "You're so hurtful Haruna-chan. And here I thought we could have a civil conversation," Akio said with an exaggerated sigh.
Haruna's sharp eyes did not relent, eventually forcing Akio to continue unprompted. "Well anyways," he began, taking a seat that wasn't offered to him. "I wanted to talk to you about-" "What's your deal?" Haruna said, rudely cutting the boy off. "Excuse me?" Akio said, surprised by the sudden question. "You just keep putting yourself in between me and Kanako more and more. I wanna know why," Haruna said sternly. "Whatever could you mean dear Haruna-chan?" Akio said faux-pompously. "All I want is to get closer with my friends." "Really? Because to me it looks like you're just trying to get closer to Kanako," Haruna said. Akio remained silent. "You've gotten to talk to her a lot more than me, both to school and leaving. You even got to spend time with her when I was the one that was supposed to be on a date with Kanako." "You sound jealous Haruna-chan," Akio said, an edge of cunning in his eyes.
"Damn right I am," Haruna answered in all seriousness. Akio's eyebrows raised, surprised once again by the girl across from him. "I didn't think you'd actually admit it," he said. "I mean, I don't think I'm some envious psycho about it, but..." Haruna said, being sure to keep her sights locked onto Akio. "Those moments that I've made for just me and her, those are MINE. Back off."
Akio's shock lasted only a moment longer, soon shifting into a more smug expression. "I never thought you could talk like that Haruna-chan. Almost makes me wish I was still the target of your affections." "It's not like mine is the only one that's changed. I guess you were serious about trying to take Kanako from me. Who knew you'd fall for her after all?" Haruna said, taking a shot at Akio. She felt it was karma in a way. Akio had been the one to propose that Haruna and Kanako act like a couple in the first place. By extension, he was also partially responsible for Haruna developing feelings for Kanako. With those feelings fueling her, Haruna fully intended to get Kanako to fall in love with her. That was why it was funny to the girl that Akio would have feelings for Kanako. He had essentially made things entirely more difficult for himself than it ever should've been.
However, contrary to Haruna's expectations, Akio's face displayed something almost akin to anguish. It was a brief expression, one that Haruna wouldn't have noticed had it not been for the fact that she had already been staring right at him. By the time it passed, Akio was back to his usual smile, saying, "Yeah, who would've thought?"
Haruna wanted to take the time to figure out what that expression had meant, but she wasn't allowed to at the moment. Instead, Akio continued on. "But, I do see your point. Maybe I've intruded a little too far?" he said, asking a rhetorical question. "How about this? The perfect battleground is coming up for us and I think we should each take full advantage of it." "Battleground?" Haruna repeated. Akio stared at her. "Haruna-chan, you do know what day is coming up, don't you?"
The girl sat in her seat and thought hard. It obviously wasn't Christmas or New Year's. Valentine's Day was even further away. There weren't any breaks or school holidays on the immediate horizon either. Drawing a complete blank, Haruna could only shrug. "I have no idea." Akio sighed, planting a hand on his forehead. "Haruna-chan, I know it's been a while for you, but you should seriously remember stuff like this." "Just tell me what it is already!" Haruna exclaimed, quickly growing impatient.
"Kana-chan's birthday is this Sunday."
The words hit Haruna like a lightning bolt. "I completely forgot...!" she panicked inside. "Oh God, how could I screw up this bad?!" Visible sweat began pouring down her face as she sat white-eyed in shock at the upcoming day of celebration for the girl she was in love with.
Seeing Haruna's reaction, Akio laughed loudly. "Wow, I can't believe you actually forgot! You've known her for years! Even if you claimed to hate her for some of that, there's no way you should've forgotten something that important!" "S-Shut up! Like you remember all of your friends' birthdays!" Haruna said, trying to get Akio to focus on his own mistakes instead. "Huh? I do though. I make sure to celebrate each and every one of them," Akio said, correcting her. "Ugh... this is the worst," Haruna moaned, finding no one in the wrong but herself.
Recovering from his fit of laughter, Akio decided to continue their conversation. "As I was saying, it'll be the perfect battleground." "So what? Kanako's just supposed to choose one of us on her birthday? Talk about a bad present," Haruna scoffed. "Of course not. Even I'm not that classless," Akio said. "I was thinking that we could each spend time with Kana-chan."
Akio went on to explain his plan. Basically, for one half of the day, each person would get to spend time with Kanako. They could do whatever they wanted (within reason; no long trips or anything like that) and when the time was up, the first person would switch with the other. After hearing the plan, Haruna stared at Akio, a little dumbfounded. "...Do you seriously think Kanako will agree to that?" she asked. Akio shrugged. "Who knows? But I think we can convince her."
Haruna thought it over more before coming up with a question. "If we do go through with this, who gets to go first?" "Hmm. I think I'll take the first half of the day. That gives you the advantage too. They say nighttime is the most romantic after all," Akio said with a smirk. "Fine. Works for me," Haruna said, beginning to feel confident about her chances.
After a while longer, Kanako's club finished and, after some convincing, Haruna and Akio got Kanako to agree to the plan they had come up with. The two had left out a lot of specifics and the reason why they were even suggesting something like they were in the first place. However, once everything was worked out, the stage was set. Sunday, September 22 would be the day, and first up would be Akio.
*****
When Sunday came, the weather seemed to respond to the occasion at hand as the sun was shining bright overhead, doing its best to warm the cool autumn day. The seasons had only just changed, but knowing itself as well as it did, the environment had seen fit to switch the leaves of the trees from green to yellow to orange gradients, demonstrating to all that time was indeed passing. Within all of this scenery, standing on a street corner, was a boy dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a white t-shirt with a black jacket overlaid on top. Checking the time on his phone, he saw it was nearly the meet-up time.
Akio stood and waited, feeling neither excited nor impatient. To him, this outing wasn't anything more than hanging out with a childhood friend. However, he most certainly understood the stakes. "I'm sure Kana-chan will come looking her cutest," Akio thought to himself. He smiled at the visual, enjoying the idea of a girl getting dressed up for him. "Although, I guess it's not really fair to anyone to think about something like that." He had a goal in mind, one that he was hopeful would come to be someday. Because of that goal, his feelings in the immediate moment were quite conflicted.
Did Akio really want to be with Kanako today? Why not just let Haruna pursue Kanako at her own pace instead of interfering so much? "Why go so far...?" The question that Chiyo had asked Akio also echoed in his mind along with the others he had. He knew the answers, and yet there was no stopping his doubts. But, with a shake of his head, Akio shoved those doubts to the corners of his mind. "I've already decided I'd go through with this," he thought resolutely. "No matter what happens."
By the time Kanako arrived, Akio was back to his usual state of mind. Looking at her, he smiled. He had been right. Kanako had done her best to glitz herself up, appearing in a long-sleeve, button-up faded yellow top and a white skirt that came down to the knees. Her hair was the same as always, but it seemed like she had taken extra time to do her make-up, as not a single line or mark was out of place or overdone. Draped over her shoulder was a small white purse.
"H-Hi, Akio-kun," Kanako said with a nervous smile. "Hey Kana-chan," Akio responded in kind. "You're looking pretty cute today." "R-R-Really?! I-I'm glad you t-think so..." the girl said shyly, blushing wildly at the compliment. For as precious as the scene was, it would be no surprise if any guy fell for Kanako on the spot. But the spark of this moment had been Akio's remark, which he had said with ease. The words had breezed out of his mouth and they had made Kanako very happy.
It was the exact result Akio had expected.
"Sometimes I wish her feelings weren't so blatant," he thought, almost feeling guilty at his own actions. Even before Kanako had confessed, it hadn't been hard for Akio to realize how she felt about him. The way she'd talk to him, the way she'd fidget about and especially her facial expressions had all given it away. In the past, Akio had simply just enjoyed it, but now that he had put a plan into motion, it was hard to view those same feelings the same way he had before. Of course, part of that was because he was knowingly taking advantage of those feelings for his own ends.
While Kanako was still distracted by honeyed words, Akio shook his head once more. "I need to focus. Can't afford to screw up today," he thought, then looked at Kanako. "Ready to go?" Kanako nodded. "Where are we going?" she asked. Both Akio and Haruna had kept their plans for the day secret from her. "Well to start, I thought we could go to the soba shop that's not too far from here," Akio said. "Okay!" Kanako agreed excitedly. Her reaction briefly made Akio wondered if Kanako would've said okay the same way regardless of where he had said.
Beginning on their way, Akio held out his arm. Kanako looked at him surprised as she figured out what the boy was doing. Shyly, she wrapped her hands around the arm offered to her, then smiled. As they walked, the few other people out took notice. "I wonder if they think we're a couple," Akio thought casually. He took a look at Kanako, who looked perfectly content in her position. Even if he had mixed feelings about his current situation, Akio couldn't deny that it made him happy to see Kanako happy. They had been friends for so long. It was only natural.
Once the pair arrived at the soba shop, they were quickly seated. "I don't think I've been here in a while," Kanako said. "Really? I come here pretty often with some friends of mine," Akio said. "You're lucky Akio-kun. You don't have clubs to worry about," Kanako said, pouting about the boy's free time. "Clubs aren't required," Akio pointed out with a laugh. "It almost sounds like you don't want to be in yours." "N-No, that's not it at all!" Kanako said in a sudden panic. "I love my club! I have a lot of fun and I've made good friends doing it... but... Sometimes I wish I had the same free time as you Akio-kun."
Akio noticed that last comment that Kanako made but decided to pretend he hadn't. "I'm not even sure what to say to that," he thought before continuing. "How has your club been? Any new contests coming up?" "No, I don't think so. Oh, but actually, Naomi-senpai got invited to one individually," Kanako said, referring to her club's president, a third-year at Iwanai Municipal High School. "Wow, that's amazing. She's pretty talented isn't she?" Akio commented. "Mhm! Naomi-senpai's the best!" Kanako said proudly. "The best huh? I bet you could give her a run for her money," Akio said. Kanako blushed a little at the praise. "I-I don't know..."
It was quiet for a moment before Kanako spoke again. "I'm glad that we're getting to do this Akio-kun. It feels like we never get to spend time together anymore." "That's true. We used to spend a lot of time playing around," Akio said. "But it seems like once we got into high school, that kinda changed." "Yeah..." Kanako said sadly. "I know that's usually how it goes. Adults always say the older you get, the more distance there is between people, but... I wish it wasn't that way. I'm thankful for all of my current friends, but I want to be able to keep my old friends too."
Akio smiled at Kanako's wish. "If only everything were that simple. Just say that's what you want and it's so..." he muttered. "Akio-kun?" Kanako said. "Sorry, just musing to myself. Anyways, at least we're here now. We should get together more often. Weekly trips to the soba shop!" Akio said jokingly. Kanako laughed. "I think we might both get fat if we did that."
Leisure conversation went on until their orders arrived. Two bowls, one large and one small, were set down in front of each member of the table. "It looks so good!" Kanako squealed. "Then let's eat," Akio said. Snapping their chopsticks, both individuals began slurping up the noodles. "Mmmm! This is great!" Kanako said with glee. "If a member of the cooking club says so, then it must be," Akio said between bites. "Don't you think it's good Akio-kun?" Kanako asked. "Like I said earlier, I've been here a lot, so it's kind of hard for me to tell anymore," the boy answered. Kanako sulked a little. "I was hoping we'd both enjoy it," she mumbled. "That's not good," Akio thought, then "W-Well, I do still like it though, so you could say I'm enjoying the food." Kanako's face instantly brightened.
Once again, pangs of guilt struck Akio. He quickly pushed them away again, but the feeling still lingered, reminding him that one day, he'd have to pay the price for what he was doing. "Now's not the time," he thought sternly.
After finishing eating, the two quickly left the restaurant. "Sorry if it feels like we're rushing," Akio said. "I-It's fine. I know we're on a schedule," Kanako said, seeming reluctant to admit it. After she was done with Akio, she'd be meeting Haruna. That arrangement somewhat created a small time crunch, but Akio had elected to take the first half of the day intentionally. Knowing there was a hard time limit provided his mind with some comfort.
"So where are we going now?" Kanako asked. "We're going directionally backwards a bit, but I think you'll like this," Akio said, not really giving an answer. Kanako didn't press him further. After all, she was perfectly content with just getting to be together with the boy she liked. No matter what the surprise would be, Kanako was sure she'd love it. However, it was that certainty, a certainty Akio knew, that caused the boy internal turmoil.
While dealing with his personal conflict, Akio was luckily able to get a taxi. Despite the small size of Iwanai, taxis were available, but people were usually reluctant to use them due to the price. It was true that it took much longer to walk to a lot of places, but compared to shelling out the money for what would turn out to be a five-minute ride, spending time seemed more preferable than cash. But, with it being Kanako's birthday, Akio decided to splurge on the luxury of the taxi.
"Wow, I can't believe we're taking one of these," Kanako said in mild amazement. "The only other times I can remember using a taxi service is when the snow would get really bad and my mom called one because she didn't want to drive." "Yeah I don't usually use these either," Akio said. After getting in, the vehicle took off, with it turning out that the drive itself lasted only around seven minutes. While Akio wasn't really a penny-pincher, he secretly cursed the taxi company for making him pay such a high price for a short ride.
Climbing out of the taxi, Kanako stared at her surroundings. In front of her was a long-ish building. In some parts it was two stories and in other parts one, but the entirety of it was colored a very weathered white. The glass windows looked spotty, showing their age, and the doors had a bit of rust on them. The land the building was on was very flat, with only patches of grass growing here and there. A few trees had been put in to try to make the place look livelier, but if anything, it had seemed to have the opposite effect.
Kanako blinked several times before opening her mouth. "...T-The elementary school?" she uttered. "W-Why are we here Akio-kun?" Akio stood next to her, hands on his hips before raising one hand to scratch his head. "This might sound a little cheesy, but... I thought we could go down memory lane a bit," he said. Kanako looked at Akio before looking back at the school. The place she was standing in front of was officially known as Iwanai Elementary School. It was where she, Haruna and Akio had all gone to school as children.
"Memory lane..." Kanako repeated. "B-But Akio-kun, we didn't know each other well back then." "I know, but honestly, I think this was my favorite time with you," Akio said as he walked toward the building. He knew he wouldn't be able to get in as the doors were locked, so as he got closer, he began to turn to make a lap around it. Kanako followed him, waiting for the boy to explain what he had meant.
"Back then, we were just learning all sorts of things. How to read, how to write and basic mannerisms. But, we also got to know people. And while it was our families that originally brought us together, I've always felt that this was where I really first met you Kana-chan." Akio turned around to look at the girl, giving a genuine smile to her. "R-Really?" was all Kanako could manage to say. Akio nodded. "Yeah. When our families were together, you always seemed to hide behind your parents, but at school, you were different. It wasn't like you were more outgoing or anything. You just seemed like you were having more fun."
Kanako thought back. In elementary school, she remembered being shy, but she had also made friends quickly before she had even realized it. That was what had helped her enjoy her childhood school life. When the Endos, Miyashitas and Nakatomis got together, it had been harder for Kanako to have fun. She had been a little intimidated by Akio at first, and she had found out that Haruna was a little mean.
While Kanako went through her memories, Akio continued. "Because of how much we ended up together outside of school, I found myself watching you a lot when we were here." "You w-watched me?" Kanako said, feeling embarrassed. "Well, maybe not so much as watched as I took a quick glance at you now and then," Akio said, correcting himself. "We were never in the same class, so it's not like I saw you often." "Oh yeah," Kanako remembered.
Through outside interactions, Kanako and Akio had gotten to know each other better. As their young years had passed, the two came to be close. It was then, too, that things had already begun to change. Looking back, Akio was pretty sure he could pinpoint the moment Kanako had truly fallen in love with him. "Maybe that's a bit conceited of me," he thought.
Years ago, there had been a day when Kanako had been crying. Truthfully, Akio could hardly remember the reason why anymore. He was certain no one had been bullying Kanako, and there had definitely not been any issues at her home, so whatever had happened was most likely trivial. However, it was what had happened after Kanako's initial outburst that mattered. Seeing his friend in pain, Akio had gone over to Kanako, sat down next to her, and comforted her as best as a child could. It didn't involve much. An awkward arm around her shoulder, bumbling words of encouragement here and there. But, it had been enough. Whether or not Kanako had realized it for herself at the time, Akio wasn't sure, but he knew it. On the timeline of their relationship, that's where a mark would read "Kanako fell in love with Akio."
As the day passed, the two continued to reminisce. They shared various stories between each other that they had told before, along with one or two that turned out to have been untold. Akio and Kanako both laughed at the memories, both from happiness and occasionally embarrassment. For that time, Akio was able to forget about his worries. In that moment, he felt like nothing was out of place. For all intents and purposes, this was just two childhood friends talking about good times.
He wanted it to last, this feeling of normalcy and easiness that he had stumbled upon. Akio found himself thinking that if only time could freeze. If only no one else would come to interrupt the moment, allowing it to go on forever. It tugged at his heartstrings, but unfortunately, not all of them were pulled in the same direction. Several of them wanted different things, and it was in that difference that his inner conflict arose once more. However, once more, he ignored it as hard as he could.
The pair had eventually landed on a set of small steps. Standing up from them Akio stood grandly in front of Kanako. "Well Kana-chan, this is my present to you!" he proclaimed, then sheepishly added, "Honestly, I wanted to get you something, but going down memory lane was the best thing I could think of." Kanako shook her head, rising to stand in front of the boy. "This is fine. It's been wonderful, getting to spend time with you like this. I-I guess the only thing that could've made it better would've been if Haruna could've been with us now. Then all three of us would've been together."
Akio gave a pained smile. "Yeah, sorry about that. I know we didn't really give you any good reasons to agree to this set up." "I-It's okay. I know you two haven't been getting along recently, so I get it," Kanako said with a tone of understanding. "This was nice anyways. After all, it was kind of like I got a date with you on my birthday... just kidding."
"...I guess you could call it that," Akio said, turning his back to her. "...huh?" Kanako let out, suddenly bewildered. Akio slightly turned his head, just enough to see her. "That's what we'll call this. A date. Happy birthday Kana-chan." The boy's statement only served to confuse Kanako even more. "Wha-... Um-... Huh?" She tried to form sentences, but none made it to completion. All she could do was stare doe-eyed at Akio. "Come on, we should get going. Wouldn't want Haruna-chan getting mad at us for taking too long," Akio said, beginning to walk away. "R-Right," Kanako said, her face remaining as red as a tomato.
From the elementary school, it wasn't too long of a walk back to Kanako's house. It was from there that Haruna would pick her up, so Akio proceeded to escort her there, forgoing the awful taxi fee and allowing their now so-called "date" to last a little longer.
End of Chapter Eight.