Chapter 1: Food for Thought
There's an old saying that one can't eat a painted cake. I don't know when I first heard it, but it wasn't until I was an upperclassman in middle school that I, Sugiura Ayano, fully understood it. Or at least that was when I found my own interpretation of that adage and its meaning as it pertained to me. It was, as they say, a learning experience. But the lesson that came from this wasn't the kind that you learn from your textbooks or in your classes – how to graph functions, the parts of a cell, what emperors ruled during which historical periods. Rather, this was a life lesson that I started to learn shortly after middle school started but didn't entirely grasp until the events of our class trip to Osaka. I suppose that full understanding could have hit me anywhere and at any time. But hey, these things are unpredictable, especially given the other girl involved in all this (that would be Toshino Kyouko, and I'll get to her in a moment). In my case, this was a lesson that impressed itself not in my brain but in my heart. That's an important distinction here. What I learned wasn't something you can write out an analytic essay on or plug into an equation, balance it, and get a hundred on your test. It's inexact and messy just as it's wonderful and beautiful.
By the way, even though the proverb doesn't refer to literal, actual cake, in this story there was cake involved in the end. It wasn't painted, and we did eat it. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
I'm not always the most social person around, but there are some girls in my life I cherish and treasure. I have my closest friend, Ikeda Chitose. I have my friends who are on the Student Council at school with her and me: the President and the two first-year girls. Then there are the members of the school's so-called Amusement Club who are also my friends: Funami Yui (a hilarious, witty girl), two first-year girls, and finally, Toshino Kyouko. I don't know how to even begin describing her. She's a bundle of exuberance with blue eyes and blond hair. She's laughter and silliness and zaniness. She is also chaos in the form of a teenage girl. And I adore her. I am completely and utterly smitten with her, much as I outwardly (and sometimes inwardly) deny it. If that isn't already clear, it will be.
Our class trip to Osaka started with a long bus ride. We left very early in the morning. I sat next to Chitose the whole way, sometimes dozing, sometimes chatting with her, and sometimes staring aimlessly out the window. When we finally arrived, it was time for lunch. The cafeteria we ate in had long tables in rows, and I found myself sitting with Chitose, Yui, and Kyouko. There wasn't really anything out of the ordinary about this, except of course that we were in Osaka and not at school. Though the meal was delicious, I had to admit that I was a bit tired of sitting.
"Is everyone as excited as I am?" Kyouko asked, eating the last of her lunch. "We're in Osaka!"
"We are," Chitose said. Her voice was as calm and gentle as always. "It's nice to be here again. I'm excited too."
"You were here over break, weren't you?" I asked her. Chitose nodded at me.
"You could spend weeks here and not see everything," Yui remarked. "And we only have a few days. I guess-hey! Stop that!" Yui finally noticed Kyouko reaching across the table and taking things from her plate.
"I'm still hungry, Yui!" Kyouko whined. "Please, give me some of your food."
"No."
"Ayano!" Kyouko said, looking across the table at me now. "You'll share your food with a growing girl, right?"
"Oh, Toshino Kyouko," I sighed. It was probably pointless to argue. No doubt she'd pester everyone until someone gave in. I figured that it might as well be me. "Pass your dish over this way." I spooned some of my own rice onto it as she did.
"Thank you, Ayano! It's nice to have someone who cares about me so much." Kyouko was clearly getting carried away. She immediately started shoveling rice into her mouth. I was slightly worried she'd choke.
"Y-you should eat more slowly, Toshino Kyouko," I advised her. Kyouko tried to reply, but since her mouth was full of rice, only muffled, garbled sounds came out.
"Just eat and be quiet," Yui said to her. She turned back to Chitose and me. "I guess it's the four of us together for this trip again, right? I know we're sharing a hotel room again."
"That's true. And each of us is also supposed to have a partner," I said, looking at the class itinerary again. "Aside from participating in all the trip activities with each other, you and your partner are supposed to write your trip report together too."
"Ayano, perhaps you and Toshino should be partners," Chitose suggested. At the sound of her name, Kyouko looked up, a few bits of rice stuck to her face.
"W-what?!" I looked up, caught off-guard by this proposal. As my best friend, Chitose meant well, and I knew she wanted to see me happy. But the way she sprung these things on me was a bit much sometimes.
"Yes," Chitose smiled. "I'm certain you two would have a great time together."
"B-but aren't you partnering with Yui, Toshino Kyouko?" As soon as I said that, I regretted it. Chitose had tried to give me an opening, and I went and flubbed it. Stupid. At least she was kind enough to not give me a disapproving look; she knew how difficult this could be for me.
"Am I?" Kyouko asked. Tilting her head, she looked across the table at Yui. I couldn't tell if she was joking or serious. As best friends, I'd have thought they would have already discussed this sort of thing. But this was Toshino Kyouko we were dealing with, after all.
Yui simply shrugged. "By all means, if you want to partner with Ayano, go ahead. Try not to cause her any trouble."
"I wouldn't cause trouble for her any more than I'd cause trouble for you, Yui."
"And that's precisely what she should be wary of." Yui's retort was clever as usual, but she must have known I'd hear that. I was sitting right there next to her. But I guess she did have a point as well.
"What do you say, Ayano?" Kyouko asked, turning to me now. Her blue eyes sparkled merrily. "Want to be trip partners? We'll take on all of Osaka!" She certainly sounded earnest about it.
"R-really?" I knew I needed to pull it together. I didn't want to seem too eager or too wishy-washy, but I didn't want to miss my chance either. "Well, if you really want to, then I suppose I have no choice."
"Hooray! We'll have a great time together, Ayano. You just wait and see." Kyouko seemed happy about this new arrangement, but her reaction paled in comparison to the elation I was secretly feeling. She and I would be partners for the trip? And we'd spend the entirety of it with each other? That would make the school trip far more memorable than I had anticipated, more so if I was able to find a way to open up to her. I needed to look for opportunities to do so. I knew that wasn't the purpose of a school trip, but there's no helping these things sometimes. It wasn't as if I asked for that to happen.
Yui leaned over to me. Very quietly, she said "You have no idea what you just volunteered for, Ayano."
"I think it'll be fine," I replied, not raising my voice either. "I'm aware Toshino Kyouko can be a handful, but I can deal with her. What could possibly happen other than her acting the way she normally does?" Ah, how I tempted fate.
Yui just smiled a half-smile and shook her head at me. I would later reflect that she had been right, far more so than even she knew. I had no idea what I was getting into, not just for what would happen that day, but for the rest of the trip and beyond it as well.
We were walking along on a sidewalk in Osaka on our way to the National Museum of Art, when things unraveled. All it took was one little incident in our path. Our class walked in a well-formed line, two to a row, each girl with her partner. Everything was going smoothly when a cute orange cat suddenly darted in front of Kyouko and me. We weren't the only ones who noticed it; I could hear cries of 'Look at the cat!' and 'How cute!' The cat stopped at the edge of the sidewalk and looked back at us. Kyouko, for whatever reason, decided she needed a picture of this cat and whipped out her phone. The cat, however, had other ideas. It turned and scurried across the road.
"Come back little cat!" Kyouko cried as the orange cat scampered down a side street. She immediately gave chase, yelling something else, and the cat ran even faster. A brief instance of astonishment kept me rooted where I was. Why in the world was she dashing off after a cat? Then I realized she was hurrying well away from our group.
"Toshino Kyouko, wait!" I yelled. Ignoring the amused looks on the faces of my classmates, I ran off after her. She continued on for more than a block before stopping in front of a tall office building. Moving my legs as fast as I could, I sprinted to catch up to her, trying not to collide with any other pedestrians as I did. Finally, I ran up beside her where she had taken out her phone and was pointing it upward. There was a row of trees in front of the building, and the cat she was chasing had apparently climbed up into one. I could see its orange face peeking down at us from the foliage.
"What are you doing?!" I boggled. "That was really unsafe, taking off like that!"
"I'm taking a picture of the cute cat," she replied happily. She turned to me. "Were you worried? There's no reason to be worried."
"There are plenty of reasons! You could have been hit by a car, you could have fallen and hurt yourself, or you could have-"
"You really were worried!" She smiled at me. "You're so sweet, Ayano."
"I…uh…" I was suddenly at a loss for words from hearing her compliment me like that. "Thank you. But…"
"Let's take a picture together! The first picture of Ayano and super tourist Toshino Kyouko-tan in Osaka!" She put her arm around me and pulled me close next to her. A woman in a business suit who probably overheard our whole exchange walked around us, briefly giving us a bemused glance. Kyouko held up her phone in front of her. "Say cheese!"
The camera on her phone made a clicking noise. After Kyouko was finished snapping a picture of the two of us, something else apparently caught her attention. She stuck her arm out. "Ooh, look! An okonomiyaki stand!"
I looked where she was pointing. Sure enough, down the street a bit on the opposite side, there was a little old lady stationed at a food stand. This didn't seem as remarkable to me as it did to Kyouko, however.
"I see it, Toshino Kyouko. But we need to get back to our classmates before we get in trouble or worse. We're supposed to be heading to the museum, remember?" Besides, she could have gotten that back at home. We didn't come all this way just to eat street food.
"Can't appreciate art on an empty stomach!" Kyouko declared. She started off again, this time in the direction of the food vendor.
"But you just had lunch less than an hour ago though. And you ate part of Yui's and part of mine too." I said after her. "Hey, get back here!" Too late. She had started running and was already out of earshot. But even if she had heard me, it's likely that my words wouldn't have done any good anyway. Once Toshino Kyouko had her mind set on acquiring something or doing something, she was unlikely to listen to anything contrary. So I was left standing by myself. I looked over my shoulder up the street and could see the line of our classmates heading in the direction of the museum. I stood like this for a moment or two, debating where I should run after her and risk getting both of us left behind even further or stay put and at least keep myself where I could see our class. I turned back in the direction Kyouko had run off to. Fortunately, she was apparently finished buying food and was running back over to me.
"Look, Ayano!" Kyouko said happily as she returned. "Look at all they give you with okonomiyaki here. Isn't that amazing?"
"Isn't that a bit much?" I frowned at the trio of little plates Kyouko had purchased. I swear this girl was like a bottomless pit when it came to food. "Especially if you're going to eat three?"
"Don't be silly. This one's for you." She held out one of the little paper dishes for me to take, shifting two of them to other hand.
"F-for me?" I was a little surprised. She had gotten food for me? I felt myself blush a little as I accepted it.
"Yes! I hope you like what's on it. If not, we can trade one."
"Thank you." I looked down at the okonomiyaki plate. Though I wasn't really hungry, I had to admit that it smelled heavenly. I didn't want to seem ungrateful for what she had given me, but…
"But we don't have time to eat these, Toshino Kyouko." Out of nowhere, I suddenly felt cross with her. I guess part of that was from trying to mask my embarrassment at the friendliness she had shown me. "Perhaps we can-"
"C'mon Ayano, let's go find someplace to sit and eat these!" Kyouko exclaimed, interrupting me and ignoring what I had said. With her free arm, she pulled me along. I only barely managed to not drop my plate on the ground. We weren't going in the direction of the museum, which concerned me. When we came upon a bench on the sidewalk, Kyouko plopped down and then patted the space next to her. I sat down beside her. I looked off down the street, and I couldn't see our classmates anymore. I wasn't even entirely sure where we were in relation to the museum now. I hoped we weren't lost. I was confident in my sense of direction, but I knew I'd need to get my bearings again soon so that we could find our way back.
"We shouldn't be doing this," I said sternly. "We need to stop messing around and get back to our group."
"We've got plenty of time. I'm certain nobody will notice if we're not there."
"Chitose and Yui have already no doubt noticed." Besides, how could anyone not notice the difference when Toshino Kyouko wasn't present? The overall volume was several levels lower, for one thing. "And I'm certain our teacher will notice."
"But isn't this nice, Ayano?" Kyouko asked as she scarfed down her food. "We can sit outside in this lovely weather, take in the city scenery, and eat food together."
"I suppose, but that's not why I'm here," I insisted, picking at my plate. "I'm only sitting here because you're my trip partner and I need to keep any eye on you." Those words rang hollow even as I said them. I could have very easily gotten up and dragged her back to our school group, scolding her the whole way for the trouble we were no doubt in. But I didn't. I stayed right there, caught up in the wake she left behind her and pretty much letting her do as she pleased. I guess I wanted just the two of us to be together exactly as I had pictured it so often in my head. I wanted to see her smile, hear her laugh, and take in all the inane, silly things that inevitably came out of her mouth. I wanted to bask in this seemingly endless abundance of energy she possessed and the vivacity she exuded. In short, I was sitting on some random bench in Osaka when I was supposed to be elsewhere because what I wanted more than anything else in the world was to be with Toshino Kyouko.
"That should easy," Kyouko replied. "Since I'm right here next to you."
"You were right next to me when you ran off before," I said irritably. I was still conflicted, pulled in two directions. On the one hand, I knew we needed to get back to our class group. On the other, I wanted this moment to go on and on, just Toshino Kyouko and me sitting together by ourselves, the busy city nothing but background noise. The feelings in my heart were stronger than the sense of reason in my head, but it was still the latter that won out when I spoke. "And then you ran off again without warning."
"We're staying put now. We've got food to eat!" She started on her second plate. "Hey, don't look so serious, Ayano."
"I can't help it. Look at what you've done. We're going to be in so much trouble, wandering off on a school trip like this," I moaned. "And me, a member of the Student Council! I'm supposed to be a role model. How can I set a good example for everyone when I'm breaking the rules myself?"
"There's no rule that says you can't have fun."
Truth be told, part of me was having fun, the time of my life even. I was thrilled to be sitting here spending time with Toshino Kyouko like this. But I couldn't simply come out and admit that to her. Besides, every moment that passed lengthened our absence from our class group. That didn't concern Kyouko, but it did concern me.
"Fun is well and good, but the rules are there for a reason. This isn't a trip for us to go off by ourselves like we've done. That's absolutely not allowed," I asserted. Wait, why was I talking about school rules? I can't imagine how boring I must have sounded. Accepting that I was stuck where I was for at least the moment, I tried pivoting to a different topic. "Anyway, Toshino Kyouko, while we're here, I wanted to-"
"Hey, aren't you going to finish your okonomiyaki, Ayano?" Kyouko asked, interrupting me again.
"We did eat lunch only a bit ago," I reminded her. I had only munched a little on what Kyouko had bought me. I wasn't especially hungry, but I was hesitant to get rid of it because it was something she had gotten for me. That raised its value immensely in my eyes. "Maybe I should save it for later."
"It'll probably be a pain to carry around and I don't think they'll let you bring it into the museum."
"You're probably right. Here then." I offered my food to her. If I was going to give it away, I'd rather it was Toshino Kyouko who took it. "Why don't you eat it, then? Please enjoy."
"You're giving it back to me?" she asked, tilting her head. Goodness, she looked so cute doing that. "I got it for you to eat, Ayano."
"I-I can't let food go to waste." That sounded like a plausible excuse to me rather than admit I'd have happily given her almost anything.
"In that case, thank you." As she accepted it from me, our fingers briefly touched. I wondered if she noticed little things like that. I always did.
"You're welcome, Toshino Kyouko. Finish it quickly so we can get back to where we're supposed to be."
"Sure, sure. Ooh, an indirect kiss from Ayano!" Kyouko giggled as she ate my okonomiyaki. I instantly felt my face grow warm. Why did she have to say things like that? Maybe my reactions were so obvious and she enjoyed teasing me. Maybe it was simply her playful personality. I wasn't sure.
"D-Don't be ridiculous."
"Are you blushing? You're all red."
"I am not!" I insisted, though I knew she was correct. How could this girl simultaneously be both so exasperating and so enamoring? Kyouko didn't reply to my denial. She had stuffed more food into her mouth, and it was now too full for her to talk. She just smiled at me and chewed noisily.
"You should eat with your mouth closed, Toshino Kyouko."
"Shorry."
"Just finish up, please, so we can get going." I stared down at the ground, trying to figure out what else to say to her. I had played out so many variations in my head. I had practiced saying them by myself in my room at home. Toshino Kyouko, I like you. You're special to me. Let's be together, more than friends. It was simple enough to say those things in my head or when I was by myself. Actually saying them to her was a different matter altogether.
"All done!" Kyouko suddenly declared. I looked back up at her, and sure enough, she was. Good grief, I thought. She didn't eat it; she inhaled it.
"Good," I said. "Now can we please get back to our class group?"
"Aye-aye, ma'am!" she said, giving me a silly salute. "Lead the way!"
I got up and began briskly walking down the street, doing my best to retrace the steps we had taken. I was fairly certain it was the right way. Running would have gotten us there faster, but I didn't want to risk losing Kyouko; given the way she had grabbed on to my uniform's sleeve, she didn't want to lose me either. It's possible she didn't know where it was we needed to go, having run off blindly earlier. I sped up my gait. I was still walking, but at a greatly accelerated pace.
"Slow down!" Kyouko cried behind me. "You're walking so fast!"
"Just keep up," I ordered, while slowing myself just a little. I didn't want her to inadvertently tear my sleeve. "We shouldn't dawdle any more than we already have."
"Wait, Ayano. Here."
"What is it now?" I turned around, even more annoyed with her. We wouldn't even have been in this situation had she not chased that cat in the first place. And she had the nerve to tell me to slow down? I was about to inform her of this when she let go of my sleeve and grabbed my left hand with her right. That stopped me dead in my tracks.
"W-what are you doing, Toshino Kyouko?" It was a question asked more due to the startling her action had caused me than any sort of genuine query. The answer, of course, was obvious: she was holding my hand. Yes, there I was, holding hands with Toshino Kyouko. Her artist's hand, that lovely, skilled, mischief-making hand was wrapped around mine. My annoyance diminished and was replaced by a feeling of delight. She really was holding my hand.
"This way, it's harder for us to get separated," she replied.
"I-I see. Well, um, if that's what only way…"
"By the way, your hand is really cold, Ayano. That's weird because your face is so flushed."
"W-what?!"
"Don't worry about it! Cold hands, warm heart. Right?" She tilted her head again. She still looked so cute doing so. "Say, are you alright? You really do look like you're burning up."
"D-don't be silly. I'm fine." Well, my heart was beating much faster, and I felt light-headed and a little short of breath. But other than that, I was fine. I shook my head, trying to clear it. "Come on, we need to hurry."
I started briskly walking again, this time with Kyouko keeping up. Eventually, that walk turned into a run. There were two purposes to running like we were: one, it got us back faster to where we needed to be. Two, I didn't want Kyouko to think the way I was acting (my pounding heart, my near hyperventilation) was due to her holding my hand. I'd have much rather she thought it was due to us running. We tore right up the street, heading back the way we had come, to rejoin with our class group.
When Kyouko and I reached the entrance to the National Museum of Art, we were both winded and damp with sweat. It wasn't too hot outside, but when you run like we did, you were bound to sweat. Kyouko's hair was a little disheveled, and mine probably didn't look perfect either. Yui and Chitose were there waiting for us just outside the door. As I had said to Kyouko, our absence hadn't gone unnoticed at all.
"Where were you two?" Yui asked. "Last I saw, Kyouko was running off after that cat and you were running after her. It looks like you're both sweaty, so I'm assuming there was even more running involved."
"We took a side trip, Yui!" Kyouko declared happily. "We went sight-seeing and got okonomiyaki!"
Smirking a little, Yui turned to me with a look that clearly said 'I told you so.' She had been right, true enough, but she didn't have to look so smug about it.
"It sounds like you had fun, Ayano-chan," Chitose said.
"It was more stressful than fun." That was at least mostly true, I figured. "I was worried Toshino Kyouko would get lost and then that the both of us would be in trouble when we eventually did find our way back."
"But we got to do something nobody else in our class did!" Kyouko chirped happily.
"Let's not just announce that, Toshino Kyouko." I felt tired, annoyed, and exhilarated all once. And the trip had only just begun!
Kyouko grabbed my hand again. "Come on Ayano, let's go see the museum exhibits now!" This time it was her pulling me along, as she dragged me through the entrance doors.
"T-Toshino Kyouko, wait!" At least this time, she was going where we were supposed to be going. That was at least a step up from chasing after a cat or running to make an unscheduled food stop.
"They're having fun together, aren't they?" I heard Chitose say behind me.
"They certainly are," Yui chuckled. "Um, your nose is bleeding, in case you weren't aware." I would have assisted Chitose, but with Kyouko's hand gripping mine, I was unable to turn around and help my friend handle yet another of her constant nosebleeds.
"Toshino Kyouko, slow down!" I implored her. "We're leaving behind Chitose and Yui, and you-"
"Ahem," a voice behind us said. "Sugiura. Toshino. May I have a word with the both of you?" We turned around. There was our teacher, looking at us sternly, her arms crossed in front of her. It seemed that my other prediction had come true. We were both in trouble.