Ryota had woken up late the next day. The ceremony would start at nine o'clock and it was already eight. He decided to skip the morning bath (he liked baths in the evening since they are more refreshing), brushed his teeth, and pulled his school uniform on.
The rest of the students would cry in each others' arms, make promises, and hug their teachers, but the trio had not planned on doing anything of that sort.
Suddenly the thought of yesterday's diary struck him. He imagined himself in the closet, surrounded by spiders. All of a sudden, he muttered, "God, that was creepy."
Spiders. did not scare him, but the thought of hundreds of spiders roaming over his body sure did creep him off.
And he still had no clue about what the energy that had covered his face was, so that gave a rise to the fear of the unknown.
He picked up his school bag, then walked to his Writer's Box. The suitcase was big enough to fit a four-hundred-page diary.
But he decided otherwise. Ryota locked the suitcase, then stuffed the diary in his school bag – which was just wide enough to fit the diary. He threw the bag's strap over his shoulder.
He got anxious as he approached the school's gate. Although no one paid him attention, he was shy to enter the school alone. 'We should have scheduled our meeting…' But they did not get any time to have a conversation.
With his head held low, Ryota stepped through the gate that was decorated with balloons and decorative paper rolls – whatever they called them. The school's name was bold in the middle of the gate's arc.
A stage was set up in the middle of the open ground while stalls were set up by the sides. Due to the heat, the speeches would be conducted in the gym-cum-auditorium, but just for fun, the Student Council had decided to set stalls.
Ryota liked to eat, true, and he knew just another person who liked to eat too. If they have reached the school… Ryota went to the stalls and started looking for Sengoku. Hito would be behind him, annoyed, while Sengoku would be stuffing Teriyaki, Soba, Ramen, Fried Squid on the Stick, and other spicy dishes.
The food stalls started with Cotton candies, Apple candies, Cream-Filled Mochi, sweet Dangos, Cakes, and Fruit Sandwiches, followed by the all-time favorite, ice cream.
Ryota was not a big fan of sweets, but when he saw ice cream, he just wanted to buy a cone, a cup, or at least a popsicle. Unlike the other students rushing to the counter, Ryota controlled himself and walked ahead.
What followed the sweets' stalls were the stalls of spicy, hot food – just what Sengoku liked. Ryota raised his eyes and looked out for Sengoku with more caution.
He crossed the stalls but Sengoku was nowhere to be seen. Right before the activity stalls started, Ryota stopped. He walked to a bench on the left side, the only empty bench because it was a corner where no shadows could give shade. With a sigh, he sat on the bench.
No one was carrying their school bags, but Ryota had brought his bag with him – he could not risk Aunt Oba seeing the diary and he did not believe in hiding stuff.
'I am late, I thought he would have already arrived.' But Sengoku and Hito were nowhere to be seen. 'Where can he be if he is not at the food stall?'
Guns. Sengoku loved guns. And balls. Shooting games. Target games. Ryota jumped off the bench and ran to the activity stalls. The first one was to catch the fish. The next was a 'strike the cans' stall. Soft toys were hanging from strings, on the other side was a Ninja Hattori stuffed toy, and a Doraemon stuffed toy sitting on the table.
He heard a gunshot. Ryota looked past the people and saw a man holding a rifle, his head was lowered, aiming at the balloons ahead. And beside him was Hito without the school blazer.
Sengoku fired another shot. A balloon burst and Sengoku lowered the gun with a satisfied smile on his face. "Nice!"
"Wow," said the stall owner standing beside the stall. "You got every damn balloon, boy!"
"Oh, thanks. Now I would like the stuffed Shiba Inu."
While the stall owner went behind the stall to get Sengoku a stuffed dog, Ryota made eye contact with Sengoku. His smile faded, but Ryota smiled.
Ryota lifted his hand near his chest and mouthed, 'Yo.'
Sengoku waved his hand above his head, calling, "Yo, Ryo! Where were you?"
Ryota pulled the trap on his shoulder and ran up to his friends. The stall owner came out with a stuffed dog. "Here, all yours."
Sengoku accepted the toy. Ryota only wondered what he would do with it, but Hito dared to ask, "What are you going to do with it?"
Sengoku glanced at Hito, then looked back at Ryota. "It is not for me. It is for my friend who is leaving tonight."
Ryota was still confused when Sengoku pressed the Shiba Inu stuff toy against Ryota's stomach. He raised his hands on instinct and grabbed the doll. That toy looked so much similar to Sakura – just the Cherry Blossom collar tag was missing.
"What is this for?" Ryota chuckled.
With pride, Sengoku answered, "A souvenir to remember me."
Ryota smiled. 'Idiot. I don't need a souvenir to remember you.' He opened his bag to stuff the stuffed toy inside when Hito gasped.
Ryota caught Hito covering his mouth, then rubbed his lips as he stepped back. Even Sengoku looked flushed when Ryota opened his school bag.
Ryota zipped the bag and frowned at them. "Why? What is it?" He glanced behind him, no one but the students laughing and hugging each other.
Sengoku's gulp was so loud that Ryota could hear the saliva go down his throat. "Why do you have a school bag with you?" he asked.
But before Ryota could answer, Hito pointed at the bag. "What the heck is inside that bag?"
Ryota thought about creating an excuse – cause he was not prepared to reveal the diary to them just like that – he had to prepare himself. But then he saw Hito's finger pointed at the bag was trembling. And he decided otherwise.