The next morning was a little chaotic for Michi, to say the least. Before she had even gotten out of bed, she heard a knock at her door. Naturally, when she answered it, the person standing on the other side was Chiyo. "Mornin' Mi-chan!" she said happily. "...Why are you here already?" Michi groaned, still trying to wake up. "Hey Mi-chan, your hair's like, all other the place," Chiyo commented as she look all around at the wild head of hair. "That's because I haven't brushed it yet…" Michi said. "Whatever. Just get in here before you annoy the neighbors."
"Y'know, every time I'm here Mi-chan, I can't help but feel like your place is like, really dreary," Chiyo said as she looked around after walking in. "Shut up. I don't need your decorating advice," Michi huffed, though even she understood how plain it looked. After all, the walls hardly had anything on them, and the furniture was simplistic as well. Off-white walls, a brown couch and a table of the same color in front of it. Ahead of that, a TV, and besides that, a small table with two chairs that served to create a dining space. It wasn't much, and never had been, but it had always been good enough for Michi. Although, with how much more time she had been spending at her own apartment lately, she was beginning to feel the emptiness (in more ways than one).
However, this particular morning wasn't empty as all, as the boisterous gal kept buzzing around through the apartment. At first, Michi was going to stop her, but then she decided it'd be pointless and went to get ready for school instead. Combing her hair, tying it up and making sure her uniform was on right were all par for the course, but the constant banging she kept hearing was definitely out of the norm.
"Chiyo! What the hell are you… doing?" Stomping out into the living room, Michi turned toward the source of the noise and the kitchen, only to stop in her tracks. Now that she was out there, she could smell the fragrant scent of miso soup and the hear the sizzling of meat. Walking over, she saw Chiyo standing there over the stove, humming away as she cooked.
"Oh, are ya ready Mi-chan?" Chiyo said as she glanced back. "I borrowed your kitchen. Hope ya don't mind~." "What are you making?" Michi asked, getting closer to the stove. "Oh, just some Western stuff. Sausages, eggs, y'know, real American," Chiyo said. "Miso soup is American…?" Michi said, staring at the bubbling pot next to the two fry pans. "Ah, well, I kinda like to have it with breakfast sometimes, so…" Chiyo said, trailing off with a little laugh. "It may not match all together perfectly, but I know it'll be good!"
Looking at Chiyo, Michi also noticed she was wearing an apron. It wasn't anything fancy (just a basic white), but Michi had to admit, it looked good on the gal. "Hm? What'cha starin' at Mi-chan?" Chiyo said with a wry grin. "N-Nothing," Michi said, then quickly retreated to the dining table. "She looks good in it? What the hell am I thinking…?" Michi sighed to herself.
A little bit later, breakfast was ready, and Chiyo placed everything on the table. Michi grabbed a bit of everything, then gave her thanks. "I hope ya like it," Chiyo said softly, taking the seat across from Michi. Trying a bit of the eggs, Michi put them in her mouth. "Mm! They're so fluffy…" she said after swallowing. "How'd you do that?" "It's a trick my big sis taught me," Chiyo said. "I'll show ya sometime."
The two of them continued eating, and as they did, Michi couldn't help but think back to the thought she had had recently about what it would be like if Chiyo were around more. The way things were playing out was a little different than what she had imagined, but overall, it was… pleasant. Chiyo kept talking about random things, and honestly, the whole moment was nothing special, but… Michi couldn't help but smile. "This is nice," she thought.
Not long after, it was time for them to go. They walked out of the apartment, down the stairs and reached the sidewalk. Michi was about to continue walking when she noticed Chiyo had stopped. "Hey, um," she said, sounding a little nervous. "Aren't you… forgetting something?"
It wasn't much of a gesture, but Michi could tell Chiyo was holding her left hand a little farther away from her body. The gal herself looked meek and shy as she waited for Michi's response. "Ah, r-right…" the girl sputtered. She felt embarrassed about just the idea of holding Chiyo's hand, but now she had to actually do it. Walking back over to her, she reached out.
Michi's hand connected with Chiyo's. "This… is so weird…" Michi groaned internally, though on the outside, her face felt incredibly hot. "Not like that…" Chiyo mumbled, but being right next to her, Michi heard. "Not like- w-wha-" Before she could even ask, Chiyo took their hands a step further, intertwining their fingers. "This… is how you hold hands," Chiyo said. It sounded smooth, but when Michi looked up at her, she could see Chiyo blushing too. "If this is so embarrassing for you, then why did you suggest it?" Michi complained inside her head. But, despite her complaints, she didn't say a word. They walked hand in hand until they could see the school, and then as promised, Chiyo let go. For a moment, a brief moment, Michi had almost wished Chiyo hadn't.
The closer they got to Iwanai High, the more Michi was already starting to feel nostalgic. The fun of having someone with you in the morning. The joy of someone cooking for you. The warmth of Chiyo's hand in hers… Everything was so new, and yet also so pleasant, that Michi felt herself getting swept up in the moment.
"Hey, Chiyo," she said quietly. "If you want to… keep coming by in the morning… I won't stop you…" "Oh yeah?" Chiyo said smugly, seemingly recovered from her embarrassment. "Does that mean ya want me to keep ya company each morning?" "I-I never said every morning!" Michi exclaimed. "Just forget it!"
"Mi-chan," Chiyo said, stopping the girl from stomping off. "I'll keep comin' over if we can keep holdin' hands." Without thinking about it, Michi glanced down at the hand that had just been in Chiyo's. "...do whatever you want…" Michi muttered. It wasn't honest, but Chiyo had heard that phrase enough from the girl to know that it was her dishonest equivalent of yes. At that moment, Chiyo was happy Michi wasn't looking at her, because she had a huge, blushing smile on her face.
*****
"Huh? Why would Kana-chin wanna hang out with you?"
"I'm obviously the one she likes better, she even told me so."
"She was just being your friend to be nice."
*****
Eyes opening slowly, Haruna squinted as she tried to make out the details of her surroundings. Of course, it was her usual, somewhat messy bedroom, but the bigger issue was that it was still dark inside. "What time is it?" she wondered groggily. Checking her phone, she saw it was a little before six in the morning. Thanks to it being Saturday, Haruna could just go back to sleep, but a part of her didn't want to.
"What was with those dreams? Or was it a dream at all…?" she thought, vaguely recalling the events in her mind. "Kanako was there, but… when was that? Then someone was saying something to me… It was kinda mean, but that's all I can remember…" Haruna sighed. "It really feels like I should remember," she thought. "It might have something to do with Ikehara-san…"
Without a doubt, Haruna had become sure that at some point, she had interacted with Katsumi in the past. It felt like the more she had to deal with her, the stronger that feeling became. It had only been a couple of days, but it was just something about the way Katsumi spoke to her that made Haruna feel like she had experienced it before.
The question was when? It obviously had to be before junior high, but other than that, Haruna wasn't sure. For some bizarre reason, she had the hardest time recalling anything that had to do with Katsumi. "Did I just block her out of my mind or something?" Haruna wondered. "That kinda worries me. What if I did that because Ikehara-san did something so bad I needed to forget it?"
In terms of bad things, Haruna knew it wasn't anything extreme (like a crime, for instance), but then that created another question: What would be a bad thing that happened to young Haruna to make her want to forget? To forget an entire person seemed like an extreme, so it made Haruna wonder what it could've possibly been. She tried and tried to recall the details of her dream from moments ago, but no matter how hard she tried, it seemed like it was completely lost to the place that dreams go.
It felt like all Haruna could do was sigh. "Seems like all I know about this girl is that she really gets on my nerves…" she thought. On Friday, Katsumi had been firing on all cylinders, getting in Haruna's way at every opportunity.
*****
In particular, there was one moment that proved to be quite tense in a number of ways. With everybody's issues behind them, Haruna, Kanako, Chiyo, Michi, Jasmine, Itsuki, Mayu and Hinami had all decided to eat lunch together. Unfortunately, that also meant that Katsumi had the chance to overhear them. "Hey, you're all eating together?" she asked. "I wanna join too!" "Sorry, no transfers allowed," Haruna said immediately. "Then how about Kana-chin just comes and eats with me?" Katsumi suggested. "That's obviously not an option!" Haruna shouted.
"I don't mind if Kat-chan joins us," Kanako said. "Wha- Kanako?!" Haruna exclaimed. "It's fine," Kanako said, placing her hand on Haruna's. "It's not like she can come between us." "That kinda stings Kana-chin…" Katsumi said quietly, but she quickly recovered. "But hey, if you're offering, I'll definitely be there!" Then she wrapped herself around Kanako's right arm. In response, Haruna grabbed Kanako's left. "Let go my girlfriend," she demanded. "Mm, isn't this more like a rescue operation?" Katsumi said. "After all, someone's gotta save Kana-chin from this wild beast."
Needless to say, the time of actually eating lunch was more of the same. Katsumi kept taking jabs at Haruna while at the same time doing all she could to get Kanako to pay attention to her. At one point, Katsumi even tried to feed Kanako, but Chiyo swooped in from the side and ate the food herself. Oddly enough to some of the others, Michi was mostly silent the whole time, though she didn't look annoyed either. All she did was sit next to Chiyo and eat in peace.
The rest of the day was more of the same between Haruna and Katsumi, as even between classes, Katsumi was sure to be on the offensive. All in all, it had only been a couple of days, but Haruna was feeling exhausted from constantly having to protect Kanako. "It'd be so much easier if she'd just tell Ikehara-san to leave her alone…" Haruna thought.
On the way back from school on Friday, Katsumi had tagged along until she had to split off (a difficult parting for her), and once she was gone, Haruna had asked that exact question. "Tell her to leave me alone?" Kanako repeated. "Yeah. Just make her stop," Haruna said, but Kanako, after thinking about it for a moment, just shook her head. "No, I don't think that's a good idea." "Why not?" Haruna asked, surprised. "Because," Kanako said. "Telling Kat-chan to leave me alone would be like admitting I'm worried about the effect she could have on our relationship." Then Kanako looked up at Haruna. "I'm not worried at all. I believe in my feelings for you, and I know nothing will change that. I think it's better to let Kat-chan see that for herself instead of trying to keep her away from me."
Haruna hated to admit it, but she knew Kanako was right. If Katsumi even thought she had a chance because of Kanako telling her to go away, that would definitely make things worse later. "I know she won't get between us, but…" But it still made Haruna worry. What if Katsumi kept taking advantage of Kanako's kindness and eventually took things too far? As long as Haruna was there, that wasn't a huge worry, but Haruna knew she couldn't be with Kanako 24/7.
Which was really better? Was it better to keep trying to keep Katsumi away? Or was it better to just leave Katsumi be and Haruna would just have to trust in her relationship with Kanako? "I know I should just trust Kanako, but I also know Katsumi won't just give up," she thought. Even after knowing her for only a couple days, Haruna could tell that much.
Remembering all of this brought Haruna back to her early Saturday morning. "She really is a pain in the ass…" Haruna thought. "She doesn't ever leave Kanako alone, and if I say anything, all I get are insults. It's like she's trying to provoke me or something… ah. Ahhhh. Oh God, I remember now… I remember exactly who Ikehara-san is."
*****
"Katsumi Ikehara… I can't believe she's back," Kanako thought as she sat at the table eating breakfast. "It's been so long." Truhtfully, there hadn't been many at school who had remembered Katsumi. Akio had for his own reasons, and a couple of others when they heard her name reacted, but it seemed like only Kanako had more than a vague recollection of her.
Back before junior high, they had been good friends, but it hadn't been for long. Kanako had only gotten to know Katsumi around her fifth year of primary school, and by the time junior high came around, Katsumi had moved. "She said picking up where we left off," Kanako thought, recalling Katsumi's introduction. "But what did she mean? Were we doing something back then?"
Kanako remembered spending time with Katsumi, but most of the time toward the end of their friendship was blank. That mostly had to do with what had also been happening at that time, which was Haruna beginning to distance herself from Kanako. At the time, that had been a much bigger concern to Kanako than anything else in her life going on.
However, that didn't mean she remembered nothing about Katsumi. In fact, she remembered quite a lot. Going back in her mind, Kanako recalled the time she and Katsumi had first met.
*****
"Hey, you're Nakatomi-san, right?" a girl with flaming red hair asked. Kanako, noticing the girl standing next to her desk, looked up. "Y-Yes, that's me," she said nervously. "Has anyone ever told you you're really cute?" the girl asked. Kanako only blinked at her, but after processing what the girl said, she just shook her head. "I-I'm not really all that cute. My looks are pretty average." "That's not true!" the girl exclaimed. "You're super cute Kana-chin!" "K-Kana-chin?" Kanako repeated, surprised. "Yep!" the girl nodded. "You're first name is Kanako, right? So, Kana-chin! Oh, and I'm Katsumi Ikehara, in case you didn't know. You can call me Kat-chan! Let's be friends!"
Being the storm she was, Kanako found it hard to refuse Katsumi, not to mention she didn't have much of a reason to say no anyways. "O-Okay…" she agreed. "Hooray! I got a cute girl as a friend!" Katsumi declared. "S-Stop that, it's embarrassing!" Kanako cried. "Mm, yeah, maybe I shouldn't shout that," Katsumi said. "After all, I'd hate for others to find out how cute you are and then try to take you." "I-I just wish you'd stop calling me cute…" Kanako said quietly.
*****
A pounding at the door broke Kanako's thoughts. "Huh? It's still early. Who could be here?" she wondered as she went to check. When she opened it, she saw her girlfriend on the other side. "Haruna?" Kanako said, confused. "Did you want to hang out today? I'm not doing anything, so it's fine, but you didn't have to come so early," Kanako said, then she got a bit of a knowing look on her face. "Or could you just not wait to see me?"
"O-Of course I want to see you," Haruna admitted. "But that's not the entire reason why I came over here." "Oh?" Kanako let out. "Then why?" "I finally remembered who Ikehara-san is, and I thought I should come talk to you about it," Haruna said. "That's funny, I was just thinking about her," Kanako said. "Thinking about her?" Haruna repeated, not liking how that sounded. Kanako, realizing that, frantically shook her hands. "N-No, not like that! I was just remembering how we met!" "Oh," Haruna said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Geez, you really think I'd think about another girl other than you?" Kanako pouted. "A-Ah, um… sorry…" Haruna said, meekly apologizing.
After that, Haruna came inside and the two of them sat down at the table. "So how did you and Ikehara-san meet anyways?" Haruna asked. "W-Well," Kanako said, and then told her the story. When she finished, Haruna stared at her. "Kanako," she said. "Wasn't Ikehara already hitting on you back then?" "E-Eh?!" Kanako exclaimed. "W-Was she?" "She called you cute like, five times in the span of three sentences," Haruna pointed out. "Ah… y-you might have a point…" Kanako said. "But she was always like that, so I just figured that was the kind of person Kat-chan was." "Oh, I remember what kind of person she was," Haruna said, irritated. "What do you mean?" Kanako asked. "Well…" Haruna said.
*****
"Kana-chin, Kana-chin, can I come over today?" Katsumi asked. "H-Huh?" Kanako let out. "B-But you've been over every day this week." "Because your house is fun!" Katsumi said. "Your parents are really nice, and you have your own room! How cool is that?" "Y-You don't have your own room?" Kanako asked. Katsumi shook her head. "I've got three little sisters, so it's two each to a bedroom. It gets pretty crazy at times." "Three sisters..." Kanako said. "Sometimes I wish I had a sibling." "Only single children say that," Katsumi said with a laugh. "Trust me, the moment you have one, you'll wish you didn't."
"So anyways, can I?" "I-I'll have to ask if it's okay," Kanako said, but before she even got the chance, she heard a voice behind her. "Sounds like you're having fun." Immediately, Kanako whipped around. "A-A-Akio-kun!" she exclaimed. The boy laughed. "That's quite a greeting. Anyways, I was just wondering if I could borrow your notes." "A-Again? Geez, you're hopeless," Kanako said, though she didn't sound bothered at all. "Just make sure you get them back to me before school tomorrow." "Right. Thanks!" Akio said. "I'll see you later!"
As she watched Akio walked away, Kanako was all smiles and blushes, but that expression quickly faded when she noticed Katsumi suddenly in a bad mood. "W-What's wrong Kat-chan?" Kanako asked. "Huh? Oh, it's nothing," Katsumi said. "I just don't like dealing with things that are unpleasant." "Huh?" Kanako let out, but Katsumi didn't explain any further.
Instances like that weren't uncommon either. Katsumi would seem to be in a perfectly fine mood, and then when Akio would approach, she would seem annoyed. It was something that Kanako noticed, but she never really took the time to figure out why (mostly because at the time, she was basically only thinking about Akio).
But while the moments with Akio were noticeable, it was the ones that Kanako didn't notice that were really troublesome. In particular, the moments that had to do with Haruna. They were still friends, but it seemed like she was starting to grow more distant. That was something that Kanako was worried about, but being as young as she was at the time, she had no idea how to fix such an issue.
One day just as school was ending, Haruna came up to her. "Hey," she said. "What's the deal between you and Ikehara-san?" "H-Huh?" Kanako said. "W-We're friends." "Hmph. Some friend. She seems suffocating to me," Haruna huffed. "S-She's not so bad," Kanako said. At this point, she had gotten used to how clingy Katsumi could be.
Then, as they were talking, the girl in question appeared. "C'mon Kana-chin, let's go!" Katsumi shouted. "W-Where are we going?" Kanako asked. "To that store that just opened! Come on, we should hurry!" Katsumi said, moving to push Kanako along. As she did, she happened to turn back and saw Haruna glaring at her. In response, she stuck out her tongue, taunting the girl.
Many more instances like this kept happening, until it got to the point that Katsumi seemed to be targeting Haruna directly.
"What? I made plans with Kanako for today. She's coming with me," Haruna said, but Katsumi just stared. "Huh? Why would Kana-chin wanna hang out with you?" "What's your problem?!" Haruna shouted. "I haven't done anything to you, so why do you keep acting like a bitch to me?" "I just don't like you, that's all," Katsumi said. "And I don't get why you think Kana-chan does either. I'm obviously the one she likes better, she even told me so."
"Yeah right," Haruna scoffed. "Like Kanako would ever say something like that." "Fine then," Katsumi said, getting serious. "Since she'll probably never say it to your face, I will: Kanako's just being your friend to be nice. After all, it's not like you have anybody else."
Those words stung in Haruna's heart. If that was really true, it would make her feel so utterly pathetic. "But this is Kanako we're talking about," Haruna thought. "She's not the kind of person that would do something like that… right?"
Unfortunately, the seed was planted, and it was from this moment that Haruna's bitterness stemmed. She didn't really believe Kanako was only being her friend to be nice. However, Haruna already hadn't liked that Kanako was spending more time with other friends instead of her. On top of that, this one particular friend was awful, at least according to Haruna. "Why does Kanako even need friends like her?" she had thought. "I'm the only one she really needs for a friend… Well, I guess Miyashita-kun is alright too."
Time passed on, and by the time their primary school graduation came, Katsumi and Kanako had gotten fairly close, while Kanako and Haruna had grown ever-more distant. At graduation, Katsumi pulled Kanako aside and told her what was going on.
"I'm leaving, Kana-chin," she said, teary-eyed. "My family is moving, and I have to go with them. We won't be able to see each other anymore." "O-Oh…" was all Kanako could say, having the same expression as Katsumi. "But don't worry!" Katsumi said. "I'll make you a promise and that'll be what keeps us connected." "A-A promise?" Kanako repeated. Katsumi nodded. "Mhm. Kana-chin, I promise…"
*****
"We… seem to have very different perspectives on Ikehara-san," Haruna said. "Yeah…" Kanako said. "Was she really that mean to you?" "Yep. It took a bit, but I remember all the nasty things she said to me," Haruna said. "I think the reason I forgot so much was because of what happened then. I mean, in a way, she was kinda the cause of our friendship ending." "I suppose you can look at it that way…" Kanako admitted. "But I hate to think that Kat-chan did something so horrible to the both of us."
"Personally, I just wish you'd give her the cold shoulder," Haruna said flatly. "I know," Kanako said. "But she's still my friend." "A friend you can't remember a promise with," Haruna pointed out. "Ugh…" Kanako groaned. "I wish I could, but for some reason, the rest of what she said is all fuzzy. It's like I can almost see it, but it won't come into focus."
"I doubt it really matters," Haruna said. "If it was really important, would you have forgotten in the first place?" "W-Well, maybe not…" Kanako said. "But it feels mean to just shrug it off." "You're being too nice," Haruna sighed. "All that girl wants to do is take you away from me. I don't see any reason why we should show any consideration for someone like that." "Everybody deserves a second chance," Kanako said firmly. "If no one got second chances… me and you might not be together now."
"…" Haruna was silent. There was nothing she could say to refute Kanako's words. "If she hadn't been willing to give me a second chance, or if I hadn't given her one when she confessed, then…" Then to this day, they'd be apart, with no resolution in sight.
Eventually Haruna let out a long sigh. "Haaaah… Alright, I guess we don't have to just completely ignore her. But seriously Kanako, you can't just keep letting her do what she wants." "I know," Kanako said. "I'll try to be more strict with her. A-Although, I doubt it'll help much…"
"So," Kanako said, suddenly clapping her hands to indicate a change in subject. "You're here, Haruna, so, um… w-wanna…" Her voice got too quiet to hear, so Haruna had to lean closer. "Wanna what?" she asked. "I… I want…" Kanako said, becoming shy. Noticing, Haruna smirked. "What?" she said, her voice slipping down to a whisper. "Tell me what you want, Kanako." "I…"
"I wanna cuddle!"
Haruna froze. She had gotten the feeling that Kanako was going to ask for something intimate, but it being something as innocent as cuddling hadn't been what Haruna was expecting. Once it set in, she laughed. "Ahahaha! Oh my God, what the hell Kanako?" "W-What? What's so funny?" Kanako asked, feeling even more embarrassed now. "Nothing, it's just, I totally thought you were gonna ask for something more than just cuddling," Haruna said. "Hm?" Kanako let out. "I never said I only wanted to cuddle."
"...eh?"
"Hmmm~?"
And suddenly, Kanako was back on the offensive. The two of them did plenty of cuddling, and there were a few kisses too. There was even a bit of intimate touching, but unfortunately, they couldn't go any further. It wasn't because they didn't want to. Rather, it was because neither of them knew what to do next. Filled with regret, Kanako had a singular thought. "I really need to find out what the next steps are."
End of Chapter Five.