I woke up on my bed, along with my stuffed toys. The sky was as clear as the first time I met him. The blinding rays of light from the sun was passing through the gaps of my curtains. I was in an unexpectedly good mood right after I woke up.
I went down to the dining room and saw the usual breakfast that uncle makes every morning for me. He wasn't home at that time, he must have been took off to work already. I ate the breakfast and took the medicine beside my plate along with the doctor's prescription to it.
I took a bath afterwards and immediately went to school. I'm worried about the lessons I have missed and might have miss if I take a day off again.
As per normal, I arrived at the school and opened my shoe locker to retrieve my indoor shoes.
"Good morning…"
I was called out to. Apart from him, there was no one in my class would greet me. His voice lacks it's usual energetic tone, I turned around thinking his braid had finally burst up.
When I entered the classroom, I felt gazes from multiple direction, but I ignored them. It must have been because of those multiple days I've took a break on school.
I sat myself down on my own seat beside the gigantic window glass of the room and placed the items I need from the school-designated bag onto my desk. There might have been a test I missed those past days.
While I was looking through the flowing scenery on the window, my mind is filled with thoughts of being with him and how it makes me happy. When I looked at my right, I saw him dozing off, I wonder what made him that tired.
My attention quickly drifted from the whispers and murmurs of the classmates that was in the classroom. I chose not to listen to them as I opened my phone and read a novel.
I was not interested at the world of literature, but to understand more what was I feeling, I tried to read a novel filled with different emotions with them. The power of concentration I derived from simply ignoring everything wouldn't lose to the noise.
Or so I thought, no matter how I ignored them, I would still be dragged out of my own world.
"Hey, uhm…."
Someone had approached me, I wasn't sure of how will I answer to that and my knight shining armor was still sleeping.
She stared at me with an asking expression.
"What is your name?"
She asked me.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't good at names."
"Oh, sorry, I-it's Kitashirakawa, Kitashirakawa Iroha. You?"
I wasn't good at names either, or to be exact, I just didn't care enough to remember their names.
"Can I call you Iroha-san? My name is Miyamori, Mizuha Miyamori. I'm the class rep, nice to meet you."
"Uhm, me too."
She was unexpectedly energetic, she was like a polar opposite of mine, who seem like a quiet monster lurking into the dark abyss. She shook my hand as if we have been friends before.
"All of us here want to talk to you but no one has the guts to do so. They are saying that you're pretty distant to the class except to Takasu-san."
So, that's probably where those gazes came from. I'm definitely distancing myself from everything since I woke up not remembering anything.
"I'm sorry…"
I looked down as I said that.
"Let's be friends!"
With a smile that rivalled the sun, she held my hand. I thought I could probably deny her if I were the same girl as before; what made me think so was the exceedingly kind nature of her. She could probably be called a simple person, but he really had an exceedingly kind nature.
I stood up from my seat, took a few steps onto her and hugged her without consideration.
"Yes please, thank you."
If I'm still my old self, I would probably frown at her for talking to me like that.
"Hey guys! Look! Kitashirakawa-san isn't the girl you're expecting to be."
I loosen my hug at her, look at her face and I saw such an innocent smile drawn on it. The random gazes I've been feeling since I went in has also dissipated. The opportunity to talk with everyone has came at last, I wasn't expecting it to be like this but I was grateful to the new friend I acquired today.
As the teacher went inside the classroom, she returned to her own seat. The teacher only told us to plan the cultural festival that will be held in the school next week then left again. The class rep, Mizuha, has taken the place as the captain for our class presentation. In the end, it was planned to be a play of a story called "Sleeping beauty", the name is familiar but I wasn't sure of what it is, it might have been from the memories I lost.
The classes ended without any incident, Hiiro who was been sleeping the whole time has woken up right after the class ended. We were told that we will be no afternoon classes to get ready for the cultural festival presentation that will be held next week. Since our class doesn't have the script, we all just headed to home.
While walking on the busy corridors, he who was right beside me, has said something.
"Hey, wanna try yakiniku?"
"Yakiniku? What's that?"
"A place where heaven meets the earth!"
With his usual smile, he blurted such nonsense.
"Heh…"
"No, sorry. It's like a restaurant but you'll cook your own food."
"Then why will we go there if we're the one that will cook the food? No thanks."
"Just at least try it!"
With my protests having fallen on deaf ears, the next thing I knew, I was seated opposite her in front of a genuine stove. I guess it's real that we'll really cook our own food.
The dim store wasn't really crowded, just like how I love things and the individual lights shining on each table made it unnecessarily easy to see each other's faces.
In no time, a waiter had approached us and started to take our order. I left the ordering to him, and as if it was proof of his mastery on mathematics, he smoothly responded to the waiter, a thing I can never do.
"The most expensive one!"
Thinking how it will cost, I responded to him; "Wait a minute, I didn't bring that much money."
"It's fine, since I'm paying. I want to make you taste the culinary that has reached heaven! As for the drinks, you're fine with oolong tea, right?"
I went along to the strong current as if I was a reed boat and nodded while he continued on as if he was at home; the waiter quickly repeated his order and left.
"...I'll pay you back later."
"I told you it's fine, don't mind it. I'm paying. Up until before, I was working part time so I can have money to visit you on the America. But since now you're here, I want to spend it with you."
"...you should spend it on something meaningful."
"But there's meaning in this -it wouldn't be fun to spend these alone, right?"
"Uhm, thank you."
I got carried away with his words, the man who was in front of me has a shining personality that lit even the dark lonely soul of mine.
"Sorry for the wait. Here are the drinks."
The same waiter has approached us once again, carrying two glasses of what he called an oolong tea on a tray. He giggled as a grin spread over his face.
The assorted meat platter followed the drinks a little while later. The beautifully arranged, frankly speaking, looked extremely delicious. The pattern of the fat stood out vividly and the meat like it would've tasted just as good raw, though the very thought would probably make many to throw up.
"It looks good."
Words have slipped out of my lips as I continued on staring at the beautifully arranged meat.
"Right? Now we'll cook it like this."
After putting the cooking grid on the top of the stove, he snatched a snatched a slice of meat between his chopsticks, laying them hastily upon the grill. The strip of meat began to sizzle as it fell on the scorching hot metal, giving off the aroma that will make you drool- my stomach began to roar in response.
"Thanks for the meal!"
He gracefully took a cooked meat on the top of grill, I also followed what he's doing.
"Thanks for the meal."
I took a bite of the meat that got cooked in no time, and it was so juicy as if it was melting in my mouth.
"Isn't it super-duper tasty?"
"Uhm, it's tasty…"
I continued on munching down the juicy cooked meat on my platter.
"What, only that level of excitement? It should be like, 'Bam! It's super tasty!'."
Making such inappropriate action has made the other customer look at him, although it doesn't look like it bugs him.
"The meat tasted really delicious, I'm just no good at making such expression."
"Do you want some orange?"
That was an unexpected question to ask inside a yakiniku restaurant.
"Orange? Why?"
"You love oranges right? Back at the hospital you were like 'It's so fricking delicious!' or something like that."
Oh, I remember. But that was the worst word to describe it.
"Uhm."
I looked down as I started to get ashamed remembering that.
I took a sip out of the cup containing the oolong tea and as it gushes towards my tongue, the taste of the tea I used to bring at school has come to mind.
I silently consumed the meat as he continued on putting meat on top of the stove. His smile is wider than usual, I wonder why.
"I'm currently writing a novel, you know?"
While enjoying the yakiniku, she had brought up another topic for this location. Out of curiosity and my newly found interest to novels, I asked him about that.
"What is it?"
"I haven't published it yet but it's one of my dreams to publish at least a book."
I had never known that he has such interest in literature.
"Can I ask for the title of it?"
"The title is 'I Hope the next Spring will be Better'."
"The title seems catchy, what is the plot?"
"Its main story is getting the main character his love of life back after spending a long time on an other country."
I felt a real sorrow coming from his words.
"Can I read it?"
"Maaaaaybe? I'll give it to you once I have build up the guts to show it to someone. But first, let's fill ourselves."
His usual smile has covered that sad side of him. After finishing all of the meat on the platter, he called the waiter to ask for the slip and indicated that we were ready to leave. He said "let's go" while giggling like a little child.
Evidently, he seems like the type of person who will leave the end of conversation with a cliffhanger, not saying what he really wanted to say.
After exiting the yakiniku restaurant, we held our full bellies and went outside, where we were struck by sun rays unlikely in the middle of autumn. I narrowed my eyes on reflex. "The weather's great. I want to die in a great weather like this". I had no idea how to counter what he murmured, so I just shut my mouth didn't said a single word regarding that.
We started walking towards the path to home. Although his house was in the different direction of mine, he accompanied me on the way to my place, just like a white knight will do.
When I reached home, he started walking again onto the same road we walked through. I went straight my bed and his words about his death has greatly bothered me.
oshimai